Wish Upon A Star
by mayarox95
Summary: Various drabbles based on Captain Swan, Outlaw Queen, and other ships
1. Going Home

**Going Home**

Killian sat back down in the front seat of Emma's yellow contraption. It had been a long few days since he had arrived in the realm, but it had been worth it. Getting his Swan back was worth any fight, or any battle, and he would gladly keep fighting for her.

He used the mirror to sneak a glance at her boy sleeping the back. Henry had spent the journey asking constant questions on everything from what happened to Walsh, and why do you only wear a glove on one hand? Emma had simply told him that she felt nothing for the _man_ who used to be in her life, and she was ready for a new chapter, and Killian had spun a few tales on his so called past. He hadn't thought of how he would get the boy to remember after realising only one could take the potion. But now it seemed like a pressing would they get the boy to believe again?

After leaving behind Snow and David, Killian had traveled far in the land in hopes to find his beloved Jolly once more, but to no avail. Well if it was somewhere in the realm before, then there was always the chance that she would be back in Storybrooke, now wasn't there?

He touched his lips. He had kept his promise to Emma, and thought of her every day. It was the very reason why staying with her family was too hard for him. How could he face them every day and bear the brunt of the pain he felt constantly? So he took off, unable to deal with his own feelings. He supposed it was a good thing; now he was able to find Emma, and bring her back again. The look on her face when she remembered him was worth it; it made every second of pain worth it.

There was a tap at the window, and Killian looked up to see Emma standing there with David beside her. He got out of the car to immediately be brought into a tight hug by his former mate.

"Thank you, for bringing her back and giving her back her memories," David said softly.

Emma went to wake up Henry and explained that they were going to stay with someone she knew. Killian looked down slowly, unsure of what he would do for the night. He supposed he could begin his quest to find his ship; or maybe he could stay at that inn that he had heard of when he was last here. He began to walk away to give Swan's family some privacy.

"Killian," Emma said softly, causing him to stop and turn. "Where are you going?"

"To find a place to rest," he said gently, but to also let her know that he wanted her to have some time with her family.

"You'll stay at ours," David said firmly. "You brought her back, and it's the least we can do. Come home with us."

_Home._

It had been so long since he had been able to use that phrase, and he was at a loss of words. Silently he nodded, as he followed David back, who was guiding a sleepy Henry. Emma slipped her hand through his, and guided him.

It was going to be a long and hard battle with whomever caused the residents to return, but it would be worth it, if it meant having a life with Emma, and having a home with her.


	2. The Man With The Lion Tattoo

**The Man With the Lion Tattoo**

Regina stared angrily at the hooded man behind her. How dare he and his companion look at her with that level of distaste?

What kind of name was 'Little John' anyways? There was nothing even remotely _Little_ about the fat man who called her out.

She was trying to change; she really was. And if she wasn't in enough pain over losing her son, she had to sit here and endure watching everyone together. It seemed as if everyone had someone; Bae and Belle could grieve together over Rumple, Snow had Charming, Red and Granny. The only person who was just alone as she had taken off on a horse, claiming to be all rouge and evil now that he had lost his precious Swan. She could relate to him and his pain, even if her love was different. Her love of Henry. Maybe she should have gone with him, even though she knew Snow was right about needing to remain a solid front.

She closed her eyes; she never should have let Snow talk her into putting her heart back into her chest. Now all she felt was pain and anguish; neither of which were a pleasant feeling. It was almost like losing Daniel all over again, but Henry wasn't dead. He was with his mother, his _real_ mother. It was everything she had been afraid of from the moment Emma Swan walked back into Henry's life, however it certainly was not as she was expecting. Who knew it would be Regina telling Emma to take him away to keep him safe?

Dead or not, she would never see him again. There were no more beans; which meant no more portals. There was no way for her to get back to her child. Henry would never even remember all the things she had done for him. The worst part was making sure that Emma's memories were based off her own, when it came to raising Henry. Every little thing she had done for her child, Emma now believed was what she had done.

"Misery does love company," an accented voice said. Regina looked up in time to see Robin sitting down beside her.

"What do you want?" She said snapping at him. "I can't imagine why you would want to put yourself in my company, as you pointed out earlier. I'm nothing but a 'evil queen who has no feelings for anyone else', remember?" she said, as she referenced their earlier fight, in which had ended with some not so pleasant things being said.

"I'm sorry," Robin said. "It's been hard for all of us, and it's not fair of us to take it out on you just because of the past. Granted, you've done some bad things in the past, but so have the rest of us. And clearly you're suffering, just as much as us. So what is it that has caused you pain? What happened to all of you back in that land? How did you all come back?"

"I had to cast a counter curse to reverse another one, which would have nearly destroyed us all," Regina said stiffly, unable to open up more about it.

"Is that why Neal's son is still there? What happened?" Robin asked, prodding for more.

"I-yeah. He was born there, and could not return. His mother, the Saviour, was not a part of the original curse, as she escaped it, and thus she was able to remain there."

"So who is it that you lost?" Robin asked her.

Regina looked at him, completely for the first time. In his eyes, she saw nothing but genuine curiosity, and concern. How could anyone feel like that for a stranger whom they had never met, or knew nothing about?

"The same child. I adopted him when his mother gave him up, so I raised him as my own. When she returned, we had a bit of a struggle to get to raise him, yet in the last few months we had managed to raise him together. I had to give him his best chance of surviving, and that was with his mother, so I did so," Regina said softly, as she finally spoke the words aloud. She hadn't had to with anyone else; they all knew just as well as she what had happened. Somehow it made it all the more real to tell Robin.

"I'm sorry," Robin said as he took her hand within hers. "I have a child, Roland, who I've raised as my own. I nearly lost him a little while back when Neal was here. He needed to get to Neverland, where I assume you must have been as well, so he wanted to use my child for bait. I hated the idea with every fibre of my being, but I agreed because I knew how important my child was to me. So I let him use Roland to summon the shadow, but when it finally came, the shadow grabbed my son and nearly took him away. If it weren't for Mulan, it would have taken him. That was the most terrifying day of my life. I thought I would lose him, just as I did my wife in childbirth."

Regina placed her other hand over the one clamped on hers. "I can feel your pain. I lost someone I love very dearly too."

They sat for a few moments in silence, and Regina was simply taking everything in. she hadn't felt as close to anyone in a long time, as she felt now, and it cause a sort of spark in her; one that she thought was long since burned out.

Something on Robin's wrist caught her eye.

Regina looked at his wrist, "What's that marking on your wrist?" she asked him curiously, as a bit of a pattern popped out on his skin.

Robin looked down at his arm, and rolled up the sleeve. "It's a tattoo. I got it a few years back to remind me to keep looking to the future and to be brave."

Regina gasped as she recognised the lion tattoo as one she had seen several years ago, in what could be another life.

Maybe there was hope for her to have love again after all.

* * *

**A/N:** Hey guys! I had so many different emotions with today's episode, so I wanted to post some oneshots. I'll keep adding drabbles to this, but hope you all enjoyed!s


	3. Sneaking Out

**Sneaking Out **

"This is absolutely ridiculous, Swan," Killian said, as she started gathering his coat which was draped across a chair.

He was lying on the couch, where he had spent the night. Emma had insisted that she stay with him, as it wasn't right for him to have to go anywhere else. Much to his chagrin however, she insisted he take the couch. It was more comfortable than many beds he had in the Enchanted Forest, which he couldn't argue about..

The boy had been gone the night, as he had spent it at one of his friend's house. He couldn't help but wonder what she would say to her son when he returned home. Would she tell him that Walsh wasn't who he said he was, or that he wasn't even human? It would be hard for the boy to believe, especially with the absence of his memories.

"No it's not! Just go occupy yourself for ten minutes or so before Henry comes home!" Emma said, holding the coat up from behind him. "Please, it will be hard for me to explain why for one I said no to him when he proposed. But it will be even harder for me to explain what happened if he sees another man here with me. Regina didn't put a single memory of me dating in either of our heads, so Walsh was all he has ever known. I know that once he gets his memories back, he'll be more understanding, but it's just until then."

Killian shot her a wolfish smile, "Oh? And what sort of idea may he get?" he teased, as he slipped his arms through his coat.

"You know exactly what he would think. He may still be young and innocent, however New York has caused him to mature a lot lately," she said, slapping him on the arm lightly.

"Aye, well it's a bloody shame that it wouldn't be the truth, now isn't it, Lass?" he said, breathily.

He saw how his voice affected her. How she shivered lightly, and little bumps rose up. He saw her flush a slight tinge of red, and he saw her stare at him carefully. He wanted to have her so badly. He _needed_ her more than anything. Not just sexually, but emotionally, and mentally. She added something to his life that he hadn't felt in a long time; happiness.

It killed him knowing that she felt nothing for him; that they weren't True Loves. He had hoped that he could awaken her with the kiss, and leave the potion for Henry, however it had failed, and he had felt more lost than ever. Standing next to her felt so right in so many ways.

"It wouldn't have worked, regardless you know?" her golden voice said, startling him from his thoughts. "The kiss. True Love's kiss only works when you remember each other. After the curse was broken, Henry made me study his book which had my parent's story written in it. My mother took a strong potion to forget my father when she thought she couldn't have him. When he tried to kiss her, it didn't work; she needed to remember her feelings for him before she could remember him. The same thing happened with Belle and Rumple; she lost her memory of him, when you shot her over the line, and he couldn't awaken her."

He took a minute to take in what she was saying, "So, we could be True Love?" Killian asked, sounding hopeful. She had brought a light back into his life with her confession.

"I suppose we could," she said softly. She used her hand to slowly cup his face in her hands. He could feel the tiny hairs of his chin as they made contact with her soft skin. Killian nuzzled into her touch, but used his good hand to wrap around her waist and bring her tighter.

"I kept my promise to you," he said softly. "Not a day went by when I didn't think of you. Not one. I needed you so badly, that it almost seems unreal to have you here with me now."

She looked affected by his words. She moved to be closer to him. "I wish I could say I felt the same; I wish I could say that I missed you and that I always thought about you, but I can't; not completely. I would be lying if I said that my life felt perfect with my false memories; I knew something was missing."

She paused, "I used to have dreams about you. They always had a man in a long leather coat, and were filled with adventures of another life; but they were memories. Somehow my subconscious couldn't forget about you, no matter what the spell Regina cast had tried. You're far too ingrained in my memory for me to erase your existence."

He felt his heart skip a beat. He used his hook to twirl her hair. He could feel her breathing quicken.

"I need to say something," she said carefully; as if she were trying to plan out her words.

"Yes, Lass?" he asked her gently, not wanting to make her he feel uncomfortable with him.

"I was scared before," she near whispered. "I didn't want to say anything because you're right, I don't trust easily. Neal betrayed me and left me, and I don't think he fully understands the damage he did to me. There was someone else; Graham. I didn't want to let him in, but I did, and Regina hated that he was choosing me, so she crushed his heart. I was with him when he died. That was why I locked you up the first time; because people who I let in my life always end up leaving. And I didn't want that to happen with you. So I tried to end anything before it happened."

His heart broke as he listened to her. He didn't know about this Graham fellow, but she knew what it must have been like to have someone crush the heart of one you held dear, especially after Milah. He didn't say anything; just rubbed his hand across her back to let her know that he was there for her.

"Even when I was leaving Storybrooke, I couldn't tell you. I told myself it was selfish to tell you when I would be forgetting about you, but it wasn't the reason. I didn't want to take a chance that I was wrong, even though I knew how you felt. But I can't do that anymore. I lost a year of my life; even if I lived it with my mind, I didn't have my true memories. I don't want my life to pass me by and I realise I lost someone else, but because I was too afraid to take a chance," she said, as her eyes studied his.

He didn't take his gaze off her. She seemed to be looking for doubt or conflict in his eyes, but she would not get it; not when he loved her as strongly as he did.

"I love you, Killian Jones," she said softly, as she smiled a bit at her realization. "I love you."

He couldn't wait any longer; he had showed enough restraint. He brought his lips crashing down to hers, and pulled her closer into him. Her hands made their way to his hair as she pulled his face closer to his. It was like their Neverland kiss, however was filled with all the feelings she had just proclaimed.

When they pulled apart for air, he looked at her for any signs of regret, but could not find a single one.

"I love you too, Emma Swan," he said, as he tried to pull her into another kiss. He was slightly stunned when she held her hand out to push him away.

"Henry's going to be here soon," she said with a smile. "Come back in ten minutes, okay? Then we'll go to Storybrooke."

He shook his head at her, but the grin on his face wouldn't wipe away. He brought her into a quick kiss, before leaving the apartment.

He took a walk around the block as he waited for her lad to return. Killian felt happier than he had in a long time. He knew that she felt something for him, yet he never would have hoped himself to be lucky enough to have her admit that she loved him. He felt a spring in his step, and when he made his way back to her place, he couldn't help but add a swagger into his step. Hook was gone, but Killian was back; and he was here to stay.


	4. All I Want

**All I want**

When she had first asked him, he had been caught off guard. It had been many years since Killian Jones had celebrated his birthday that he had nearly forgottenwhenit even was. He didn't know why she wanted to know, but he had told her regardless.

They had been together for three months when she had asked; it was during one of their many conversations where they would learn things about each other, no matter how big or small. It was something that he loved about being with her; the conversations never died down.

The Wicked Witch had been defeated two month prior, and the only reason they had gotten together before then was because he managed to convince her not to wait for their happiness. There would always be something with her hero-typical family, and while he told her he would happily wait for her, if she wanted to wait for her life to calm down, she would be waiting for a long time.

He had woken up the morning of June 29th rolled around, he hadn't been expecting anything. At that point, he and Emma had been together for nearly nine months, and the two of them had moved out of her parent's house, and gotten a nice little home on the coast. Well, it was her home, but he had spent more time there than his ship, so unofficially, it belonged to him too.

Emma hadn't been in the bed beside him, which caused him a great deal of worry. He was so used to waking up to her in his arms, so his mind immediately jumped to the worst possible conclusion. He jumped out of bed, and didn't even bother putting on his hook. When he tried to open the door and make his way into the living area, he saw his Swan charge at him and push him back into the bedroom.

"What are you doing, Emma?" he asked her throatily, as she closed the door. He sensed that something was up, but he didn't have the time to take in the surroundings before she had pushed him back into the room.

"Go back to bed!" she said, as she placed a kiss on his cheek. "I promise everything is alright, just trust me about this, okay?" she asked him, with her bright eyes.

He sighed, but obliged. Henry was currently out for the weekend with Robin and Regina, so he wasn't even able to ask his lad what was up with Emma this morning. He was well aware of the significance of the date, however this world's traditions still seemed to baffle him.

Not more than ten minutes later, she opened the door again, carrying a tray in her hands. She walked over to the bed, and placed it in front of him. When he looked at her questioningly, she decided to explain.

"In this world, the morning of someone's birthday, we can do something called 'breakfast in bed', where the person whose birthday it is will receive a meal that they do not have to get out of bed for," she said softly, as she climbed back into bed, and snuggled under it with him.

He shot her an appreciative smile, and placed a kiss on her lips as he began to cut the pancakes she had presented him. She had made them with chocolate chips, knowing full well of his love of the delicacy.

He moaned as he took a bite. They were so bloody delicious.

"I'll take it that you like them, then," Emma said with a smirk. Her features began to droop slowly, out of worry, as she pulled a box up from under the bed. It was a tiny thing, with blue paper decorating it.

"I got you a present," she said, her voice struggling to be steady.

He took it from her, and wondered what it could be to cause her so much worry. He delicately tore the paper, and placed it aside when he opened the box, he pulled out a strange stick looking object.

"What is this?" he asked her curiously. He took it out of the box and noticed two pink lines in the centre.

"A pregnancy test," she said softly. "It tells you if a person is pregnant or not."

He dropped the test, and pushed his food aside. "Emma, love, are you pregnant?" he asked her with a breath.

She nodded, a smile drawing upon her face. "Yes," she said. "You're going to be a father, Killian Jones."

"Bloody Hell," he said with a large smile. "Never in a million years would I have thought that I would get to be the father to a child. Emma, this is amazing," he said as he pulled her into a tight hug, before pulling away slightly, "Did I hurt them?" he asked, worriedly.

"No," she said with a shake of her head. "They're fine, you can hold me as tightly as you wish," she said as she wrapped her arms around him.

He drew her lips into a kiss. Her arms circled his shoulder blades to pull him tighter, which he happily obliged to.

"Emma, wait," he said, as he pulled apart from her. He knew that now would be just as good a time as any for what he had planned.

He got out of the bed, and grabbed a box from the bedside table. "When you told me that my birthday was supposed to be all about what I wanted for a day, I thought long and hard about what I possibly could want, and I realized I only want one thing."

He got down on his knee, and grabbed her left hand, "Emma, you are my moon and my stars. You help me find my way back home. I love you, and I'll spend another thousand years loving every second of having you. But Emma, the only thing I wanted today was having you in my life for the rest of it. Will you do me the honour of giving me your hand in marriage?" he asked her, as he searched her eyes for a response.

Her eyes were watering up. She covered her mouth softly to hide the shock she was feeling, but she managed to nod before saying, "Yes! Of course I'll marry you, Killian. I love you so much, and I want nothing more for us to be a family, officially."

He slipped the ring on her finger before pulling her into another kiss.

"I started off today only wanting to have you as my wife, but somehow I managed to get so much more out of it. I love you, Henry, and our unborn child so much," he said into her hair as he held her in her embrace.

The words 'Happily Ever After' may only exist in stories where the rest of the characters' live may seem boring in comparison; however with Emma there was never a dull moment. She was his happy ending, but she was also his new beginning. There was so much more to their story and many more tales from days to come. But for now, he would settle for their calm morning together, and the hours of relaxation before the two of them went off to face the world again, knowing that when they did, they would do it together.

* * *

**A/N:** Thank you so much for all the reviews! I know I have been writing a lot of Captain Swan lately, but that's because I just have so many feelings towards them. I am however accepting prompts both for this pairing, and other pairings. See you next time!


	5. Sleeping Curse

**Sleeping Curse**

Damn the outlaw. If she had known saving his son meant she would never get a moment alone, then maybe she wouldn't have done it. All she wanted was to sneak into her castle, remove the boundary spell, and finally be able to take away her suffering. But instead she had him following her every move into the castle, insisting it was for her safety; as if he could do anything to protect her anyways.

She poured in the ingredients for her curse into the vial, as she had learned long ago. It had been a while since she had made one, and she had never thought she would see the day where she would make one for herself.

She had it all planned out. She would tell the thief that he needed to remain outside for his own safety, and she would go in, prick her finger, and fall fast asleep in the crypt she had intended for her mother to lay in. It would be poetic for her to lay there, forgotten by all. She knew that she wouldn't be waking up from the spell. The only one who had the power was Henry, and he didn't even know who she was. This way, she wouldn't have to deal with the pain every day, knowing what the loss meant to her. Henry was the only thing she had left. She had lost her father for her selfishness, and her mother never truly cared for her anyways.

And it wasn't as if anyone would be missing her anyways. She was all alone in this realm. Snow and Charming would save the day, they would continue on with their happy ending. But her? There was no such thing as 'Happy Ever After's for villains.

She sensed the arrow pointed at her. Rolling her eyes, she turned to see what the petty thief could possibly want. He interested her in a sense, where she wanted to know about him. But if he thought he would be able to stop her, he was wrong.

"What are you doing?" she asked him impatiently, without turning to look at him. She didn't really care for what he was trying to attempt; no doubt trying to be noble.

"You're preforming magic, and I know it's not for the witch. What is it?" He asked her suspiciously, arrow still pointed at her head.

She rolled her eyes, "It's a sleeping curse."

"Like the one you used on Snow White," he stated, simply.

"Yes. I didn't make that one, but I've learned how to," she said softly.

"Who are you planning on using it on?" he asked her, his eyes narrowing, un-trustfully.

"No one you'll miss," she said, her voice struggling not to crack. "No one anyone will miss. I can guarantee that much."

He lowered his arrow slowly. "You're going to use it on yourself, aren't you?"

"Yes. But don't you worry; I'll take down the enchantment on the castle first before I do. That way our precious heroes will be here to save the day."

"This is about your son, isn't it? I've lost people too! I lost my wife, but I found something else worth fighting for. You will too," he said urgently, trying to prompt her to stop. Not that he could, she was basically done.

"That's where you're wrong," she said. "While you still have your son, I've already lost everything."

He made a motion to approach her, but she placed a temporary holding spell over him. It would wear off in ten minutes; long enough for her to take down the shield and prick her finger. She picked up the needle, and began walking out of the room.

"Regina, don't do this! Regina!" she heard him yell out from the previous room.

* * *

It was done; the shield was dissolved. It had more resistance than she thought it would, however it was _her_ shield after all. There was no way it wouldn't still revert to her control when she began to take it down. This castle may have been temporarily taken over, but it did still respond to her, just as it had since Leopold's death.

She knew that the army was probably on their way in. The castle told her that much. She wished them all the best of luck, even though she doubted they would care. She didn't blame them all for their inability to accept her. It would be better this way.

She sat down on a bench, ready to prick her finger. She had placed an enchantment on it to carry her to the crypt after she had been put under. She wanted the last thing she remembered to be in the room that had given her comfort for years.

She held up the needle and stared at it, with one prick, it would all be gone. She held her finger above it, and began to prick herself with it.

An arrow flew by and knocked the needle out of her hand. It seemed as if the Outlaw had gotten free after all.

"You're too late," she said softly. "It's done."

He ran over to where she lay on the bench, and took her up in his arms, "Regina, you can't. Not yet!"

Her eyes saw a tattoo on his arm. "What a strange marking. A lion. A fairy told me once that I was destined with someone who had a similar marking a long time ago. Maybe one day I will. Goodbye, Outlaw. If not in this life, maybe I'll see you in the next."

He looked at her frantically, but her eyes began to close. She saw nothing but darkness. She waited to be transported to the burning room as so many before her claimed to have been to, but it didn't come. Maybe this was her prison to serve as a form of atonement for all her crimes. Maybe this is how she would spend the rest of her days, with no body by herself to torment her.

Well wouldn't this be pleasant.

She didn't know how long she remained there. It could have been hours, years, or millennia. Time always had a way of passing differently in strange places, such as in-between realms. All she knew was that she was suddenly being pulled out from it.

Her eyes opened as she started at Robin, who was above her, holding her body. What the hell? No one should have been able to have woken her up.

She widened her eyes in shock as she stared at his tattoo, as she remembered the last thing she said before she went under.

"I heard what you said about the fairy. There are rumours of fairies helping you find your True Love, so I gave it a shot," he said, sounding slightly stunned himself.

She struggled to get out of his grasp. "Why couldn't you just let me be? I **wanted** to go into that curse. I don't want this life. Why couldn't you just let me be happy?"

"Because you wouldn't have been, Regina. You were trying to find a way out; a way to stop the pain, just like you did when you attempted to bury your heart," he said as he stared at her. "You and I are two sides of the same coin. You may try to deny it, but it's true."

"I don't owe you anything!" she snapped at him. "I don't know what you think this is, but it isn't happening; not with me!"

"Didn't you hear, it's 'True Love'" he said, as he airily said the last part. "Look, I didn't expect it either, okay? I didn't expect to love anyone after my wife died. I didn't want to. She was my one and my only. Yet somehow fate put us in each other's path. Now I don't know what this is, but I know it confuses the hell out of me."

He made a move to get closer to her, but she didn't stop him this time. He backed her into a pillar, and left mere inches between the two of them.

"All I know is that you fascinate me, Regina. Deny it all you want, but I know you feel the same. No one is saying we need to be Snow and David about this. Hell, I would be worried if you tried."

She smiled slightly at his comment, before turning it back into her scowl.

"Just down write me off yet, okay? Let's figure this out together. We can continue to deny it though, if you'd like. But either way, you're not going under again; just remember I have a way to wake you up if you try. Now, shall we return back to help the others in regaining your castle?"

He reached his hand out to her.

She stared at it, unsure if she should grab it or not. She had run away once from love in an attempt to protect herself. But the only thing she did was end up hurting. Now she was given a choice. Did she want to love again? Wasn't first loves all you got? Snow and David only had each other. But Emma didn't…her and Neal were as different as could be. Even if the Saviour couldn't see it yet, she knew that Hook was her happy ending.

She loved Daniel though. Would it be dishonouring him if she moved on?

"I think they would be happy," the thief said as he looked at her. "My wife, and whoever it was that you loved. They would be happy that we're moving on and trying to be happy as well."

In a split second, she grabbed his hand. She didn't know what it was that made her, but something compelled her to take a chance. After all, she didn't have anything left to lose. Maybe now, she would get another shot at a happy ending.


	6. New York, New York

**Prompt:** what if Henry asked Emma if they were moving back to New York after the case in front of everyone (Regina, Robin, Hook, David, MM, the Dwarves, etc.) maybe at the diner?

* * *

**New York, New York**

It had been a week since she returned to Storybrooke. One week, and they were no closer to finding out where the Wicked Witch was, or who she was in this cursed land.

Henry was getting restless. He began to suspect that it wasn't one of her ordinary cases. It seemed as if everyone she came across, she would have to introduce as an 'old friend'. For someone who rarely mentioned her life before Henry, he didn't seem to be buying this secret life of hers.

He hadn't asked her outright about it, but she knew it was only a manner of time before he did. Henry was a curious boy, and he was only able to ever hold it in for so long.

She brought him into the diner for breakfast. She needed to talk to her parents, as well as Hook, and a few others about their next course of action.

As soon as she walked through the door, Hook pulled her aside. "Emma, can I talk to you real quick?" he asked her softly.

She nodded at him, "Henry, how about you go order for the both of us? You know what I like."

Henry smiled at her and went to the same booth that they sat at whenever they came here, even before the curse.

"What is it?" she asked him softly. They were huddled closely in a corner, careful so Henry couldn't overhear what they were saying.

"We searched the town thoroughly. Neal isn't here, Emma. There's a good chance that he's been turned to a flying monkey."

"Oh…" she said softly.

"I know how much he meant to you, Emma, so I just wanted to tell you how sorry I am about that," Hook said, as he looked at her sorrowfully.

"It doesn't affect me the way you think, Killian," she said, using his first name for a chance. "I loved him, I really did. But the reason I was asking was for Henry. Once he gets his memories back, he will want to know about his father."

"And that's all?" he asked her in disbelief. "Not because…?" he asked, voice trailing off slightly at the end.

"Not because I still love him," she said in confirmation.

He gave her a smile, "Well then; I suppose I shall let you get back to your boy then."

She squeezed his shoulder, "I'll see you soon," she said, in confirmation.

She wasn't ready to up and say it, but she cared about Killian, and everyone else here in her life. She loved them all so much, more than she thought she could have thought she was capable of.

She sat back down, as Ruby placed a cup of hot cocoa in front of her, and one in front of Henry.

"Mom, I have a question," Henry said with a serious tone of voice.

All of a sudden, everything she was worrying about was coming true. He was going to start poking.

"Are we going back to New York after this case?" he said, as he took a sip of his drink.

The diner fell silent. They all knew that Henry still had no memory of his life there, and were always careful around him not to bring anything up that would cause him to be suspicious.

She could feel the eyes of her parents upon them, and she could feel Killian's. Everyone was waiting to see what she would say, because they all wanted to know if she and her son would be leaving them behind again."

"Yes," she said instinctively. It was what Henry would expect to hear, and anything else would be confusing to him. But she began to hesitate. She didn't want to leave the city behind, not for a second time. She wanted to stay.

"Actually, Henry, do you think we could stay for a while longer? There's so much history for me in this town, so many people who I know from before. And I know you have friends in New York, and that it isn't fair to you for us to stay here-"

"Mom!" Henry said, as he cut her off her ramble.

She looked up at him, in shock. She hadn't been expecting him to stop her. Emma looked at her son's face, and saw no anger, or disappointment, or even resentment.

"I want to stay here too. I don't know why, but there's something about this town. Something about it that makes it so homely. And I like New York, I really do, but I feel like we belong here now, you know? Maybe we could just stay here forever?"

She didn't know what to say. But before she could even think of something, she noticed a change in Henry's face. His eyes looked as if they were glazing over briefly, before snapping back to focus again. Emma knew what she just witnessed; she was sure she looked the exact same way.

"I remember," Henry said in astonishment. "I remember everything!"

Her parents were the first to scoop him into their arms, followed by Regina who was telling him how much she loved him and how much she would never let him go.

Emma supposed it was feeling love for the people in his life prior to his memories being erased being the reason he could remember everything again, like her mother had for her father. She couldn't help but feel a twinge of worry though. Would Henry hate her now, as he remembered that she gave him up, and the life they had together never actually happened?

She took a step back from the crowd, to allow herself a deep breath, but she didn't get a moment alone. Before she knew it, Henry launched himself into her arms.

"I love you," he said strongly, as he wrapped his arms around her.

She held him tightly, "I love you too, Henry."

Now, even though they still had a long battle ahead of them, she knew she wouldn't have to face it alone. She had everyone by her side again, and that was enough to give her the strength she needed.


	7. Broken Hearts

**Broken Hearts**

Emma walked through the thick of the forest, alone with Hook. She loved her father to death, but she could tell he was avoiding something, her mother, probably. While she loved Mary Margret, she was going slightly overboard about the pregnancy. Emma didn't mind so much about that; it was safe to assume that even if she had grown up in the Enchanted Forest she would most likely have more than one sibling.

It was what them having another child meant. David and Snow deserved to have a child that they could actually raise. They deserved to get to be parents. It just still saddened her that they couldn't raise her. .

Part of her still wished she didn't ever find out what happened. She loved having so many people in her life now; Henry, her parents, Hook, even Regina. But seeing everyday what she could have had slightly killed her.

She couldn't tell her parents about it though; they had already gone through enough, and felt enough guilt over their actions. And if anyone deserved to be parents, it was them.

Emma watched in amusement as Hook used his namesake to cut through the branches in their way. "You love using that don't you?"

He shot her a smirk, "Somehow Swan, it seems as if when I am with you, I'm always plundering through jungles."

"I thought adventures were your thing?" she asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Ah yes; it seems being with you always involves an adventure. First in the Enchanted Forest, then Neverland, and New York," he said, as he stole a glance at her.

"I thought adventures were your thing. Or are you all adventured out from all the ones you had on your year in the Forest. I bet they were filled with sword fights, and treasure, and everything pirates love," she said, with a slight roll of her eyes.

"Something like that," he said, and his voice sounded slightly off.

She turned to face him, "You're lying," she said, as she looked into his eyes, trying to see what he as hiding.

"Excuse me?" he asked her, sounding incredulous.

"What happened back there? What aren't you telling me?"

"Nothing, Love," he said with a sigh.

"Hook…"

"Emma, that's my tale and I'm sticking to it."

"Well let's just leave it at that and you can say thank you" he said, as he tried to keep her voice confident.

"For my memories? I already did," she said, softly. "Without them, I don't know where I would be right now."

"Would you have married him?" he asked her suddenly, with his eyes burning into hers.

"I don't know, does it matter?" she asked, trying to dodge the subject. She didn't want to have to think about it. Not when she had been hurt again.

"Humour me," he said, his voice filled with a pressing tone.

"Yes, okay? Is that what you wanted to hear? Because I thought I loved him, and that what we had was real. But like everyone else, it turned out he was lying, and I got my heart broken again," she said, her voice cracking. She prayed that he didn't notice.

"I'm glad," he said after a moment, and she almost thought she didn't hear him correctly.

"You're glad my heart got broken?" she asked, her voice rising.

"Because if it can be broken, that means it still works," he said, leaning in towards her. She didn't take a step back, just stayed in place.

"Even though it's killing me that I trusted again, and it ended badly? Even though everything I wished was true, wasn't? That my life is the same screwed up thing it's been for my entire life?" she asked softly, a tear slipping down her face. Stupid, stupid, stupid. How could she let her mask fall down? She's kept her walls up for so long, yet here they were, tumbling down before her.

"Not like that, Emma," he said, as he got closer to her. "Milah was the woman I loved all those years ago. Rumplestiltskin killed her, because she was his wife, and she chose me. He couldn't bear it, and he crushed her heart. When I see you, I have a fear that the same thing will happen to you. I-I can't lose you Swan, especially like that," He said, his voice breaking. "When I said that at least it still works, while I did mean for it to be that you can still love, I also meant that I was glad that you still had a heart."

Her head was swimming with the implications. Hook loved Neal's mother? Well that was an interesting turn. However, she knew she couldn't focus on that; now was not the time.

She took his hand, and placed it right over her heart, so he could feel it beat. "Killian," she said with a breath. "My heart can't be ripped out. Cora tried, when I knocked you out with the compass. It's because of being the product of True Love, or something like that. But it's safe; it always will be safe."

He bent his head down, so his forehead was touching hers. "You have no idea how relieved that makes me feel," he confessed. "I won't lose you the way I lost her. Emma, I need you so badly in my life. And I know you're concerned for Neal, but I need you to know, my feelings for you have not changed."

"Nor have mine," she said softly. "I-I care about you, Killian. I can't say it yet, I'm not ready. But I need you in my life too, and I can't bear not to have you in it."

He cupped her face with his hands and pulled her into a kiss. It was passionate, filled with need and desire. She didn't want to break it again, not like she had the last time. She liked being this close with him, and she liked how his lips felt on hers. So she kissed back, desperate for more.

When they pulled away, he was breathing heavily. "That was-"

"-Definitely not a one-time thing," she finished for him with a smile.

He laughed, before pulling her into another one. "No it definitely will not be."


	8. Moving On

**Moving On**

Emma sat on the pier of the marina, tears flowing down her face. She couldn't believe Neal was dead.

There was a time in her life where she wanted him gone. She wouldn't have cared if he was dead, because she felt like the son of a bitch deserved it for leaving her like he did. He abandoned her when she had given him her heart, and that was something she could never forgive.

But then he had come back into her life, and everything had changed.

"Swan, I thought I would find you here," she heard Hook's voice call out from behind her. She didn't turn; he sat next to her on the pier and looked out onto the ocean.

After a moment's silence, he spoke, "I'm sorry about your loss. Baelfire, Neal, was like a son to me. I know you cared for him too, just as he did for you, so I'm sorry that you and Henry lost him."

"I just feel so awful for Henry. He's lost his father, and he doesn't even remember who he was. On one hand, I never want for him to gain his memory back, so he won't feel the pain. But on the other, he deserves to know the man his father was, to remember and honour his memory," Emma said, her voice sounding distant.

Hook said nothing. Instead, he listened to her intently, wanting to allow for her to say her piece.

"The worst part is my mother and Belle. Just because they all found their True Love on the first try, they think that's how it's supposed to be. But first loves aren't always it. I have to listen to them go on and on about how awful it is to lose one's True Love, and how devastated they were when they had thought theirs were dead. And if I try to deny it, my mother just gives me that pitiful look. You can see how she's thinking that I'm denying it to myself because I don't want to feel the pain of the loss again," Emma said, as a tear fell down her face.

"Are you?" he asked her softly, as he studied her face. He seemed to be looking for an

"No," she said carefully. "We said our goodbyes, earlier. We both knew our relationship was long over, and that it would never be the same between the two of us. We were so happy once, but things change, _we_ changed. I can't be that seventeen year old girl he fell in love with anymore, nor can he change the fact that he left me, no matter how noble his intentions may have been. We were long over, and it took us so long to be able to realise that."

"But I didn't want for him to die," she whispered. "He deserved to find his happiness too. He deserved to have his father back, and to get to be one to his son. But he lost all of that because of a sacrifice to help the Wicked Witch be defeated."

She was sobbing now. Hook wrapped his arm around her and brought her into his chest comforting her. There were no hidden intentions, nor innuendos. He was just being what he always claimed he was, a gentleman.

"I know, Emma," he said softly. "His life was cut away from him too shortly, and he did not deserve it. The Fates were cruel in depriving him from so many things, and placing so much pain on others. He died a hero's death, and it will not be for vain."

She looked up at his face, and saw that he was being genuine with his statements.

"Killian?" she asked him, trying out his name for the first time since New York. He looked at her, and she could feel his heart racing at the sound of his name upon her lips.

"Yes, Lass?" he inquired, his eyes filled with warmth as he looked at her.

In that moment she knew. She knew that his feelings for her were true, even though he had been claiming so for some time. But even more, she knew that she needed him in her life, and that she didn't want to leave anything left unsaid. If anything happened to him, and she didn't get the chance to say anything, she would forever regret it, like she did with Graham.

She leaned up and planted a brief kiss on his lips. He looked stunned, and began to protest, saying that she only wanted him because she was distressed, and that she didn't feel for him that way.

Emma placed a finger on his lips, "I love you, Killian Jones. I know that the timing for telling you is awful, in light of Neal's death, but I can't take you for granted anymore. If that had been you who died, I would be even more devastated, and I don't know how I would recover. You've always been there for me, and always know exactly when I need you. You've comforted me countless times, and had gone to the ends of three worlds for me. You never lied about anything, nor had you ever broken a promise. You're a man who is true to his word, and I know that I can always count on you for that. I can't let another day go by when you don't know how I feel about you."

He looked conflicted at first, but as she said what she needed to, his demeanour changed. He had a bright smile on his face, and once she was done, he pulled her into a kiss. It was soft still, but had a demanding tone to it. His arms snaked around her waist, and her hand grasped at his hair.

"I love you too, Emma Swan. Never forget that," he said with a grin.

* * *

**A/N**: In light of the episode, I wanted to write this. There was a scene earlier between Emma and Neal, and I felt that it was their goodbye, but since Neal died, I didn't want that to get lost. But the feels in this episode were just so high! I was in tears for the last part.


	9. Next To Me

**Next To Me**

"There's more Bae in your son than you realise, Emma," Hook said in a desperate tone. "You can't just take him back to New York when this is over, and pretend like none of this is real."

She wanted to go in, and shut the door; pretend she hadn't just heard what he said, but then she would be lying to herself about it, and if there was one person Emma never lied to, it was herself.

It was something she had picked up over the years. When everyone around you constantly seemed to be lying or hiding things from you, sometimes you just wanted someone who would tell you the truth. She had long since learned better than to trust another person, so she had come to the conclusion that the only person who she could rely on was herself. And because of that, she refused to lie.

Denial was different. She had denied caring for Graham, or believing that the curse was real, but she had never lied about it, mainly because she didn't completely believe in it. But what Hook was saying was a different story. She knew he was right, mainly because she had thought the exact same thing herself.

She wanted to be able to go back to New York, go back to the life she believed was hers, and go back to the happiness she had felt with her son. But it wouldn't make the thoughts she had in the back of her mind go away. It was different when she didn't have her memories. She didn't remember having parent who loved her, a town who cared for her, or a pirate who wanted her. She didn't remember what having a family would be like.

A part of her mind told her that they wouldn't miss her. Snow and David were pregnant again, and soon they would have a child of their own, one they could actually raise. Why would they need her anymore?

But the other part, the dominant one knew that she couldn't just pretend. She couldn't pretend that none of it existed, nor could she simply go back to her quiet little life.

"I just don't know what to do," she whispered. She shut the door, so that the two of them were alone in the hall, and so Henry couldn't hear her. "I don't know how to make him remember. I don't know how to help my family. And I don't know how to defeat this witch."

"That's okay," he said gently. "You don't need to be strong all the time, Emma. You're allowed to be unsure and not know what you're going to do. All of us feel that way. But don't run away from everything because you're confused."

_Don't run away from me._

He didn't add that last part, but she could tell that he was thinking it. So she did the one thing she could think of. She dropped her walls.

Emma wrapped her arms around him and leaned her head into his chest. He seemed startled over her showing emotions. After all, she always kept it so wrapped up inside her head.

But he didn't question her actions. Instead he simply held her without saying a word. No innuendos, no teasing, no remarks.

She stayed like that for a while before pulling away from him.

"I'll always be here for you if you need me to, Emma," he said softly.

She nodded before going inside, feeling lighter than she had before.


	10. I Trust You

**I Trust You**

Tinkerbell's words had been echoing in her head all day. She did ruin her chance at a happy ending back in the Enchanted Forest, all because she was scared to take a leap of faith. But on top of that, she had ruined countess other lives, all because she wanted a happy ending. If only she had taken a shot, she could have had many, many years of happiness.

But then she never would have had Henry; even though, she didn't exactly have him right now. Even after being back in Storybrooke, Henry had yet to regain his memories. It broke her heart over and over that he had no idea who she was.

She knew that Robin had a son, Roland, and had found out from others that his wife had passed away years ago. It saddened her to know that he had also suffered the same loss that she had with Daniel.

She had mere hours before her showdown with Zelena, and honestly it scared her. She may have her brave badass act on all the time, but deep down, she was terrified.

Regna had many enemies, she knew that. But she honestly had no idea why her _sister_ hated her so much. She had no idea what she had done to have Zelena want her dead.

She knew that she had to take out her heart if she wanted to have a chance. She had this nagging feeling that it would be safer if it weren't in her chest.

But that raised the question; where would she put it?

"Regina," she heard his voice call out from behind her. She turned around to see Robin standing there. After they talked earlier, he had gone to make sure that his son would be safe in all of this, as he didn't want him anywhere near the show down.

"I need you to do something for me," she said, her voice shaking slightly. She reached into her chest, and pulled out her heart. "I can't bring this with me. Something could happen, and it wouldn't be safe for me to have it with me."

"Regina, what are you doing?" he asked, sounding somewhat shocked over her actions. It wasn't every day that you saw someone remove the organ that kept them alive from their body and still be breathing; well unless you were Regina of course.

She put it in a bag and placed it under a rock. "I need you to watch it for me, Robin," she said, her voice trembling. "I can't have my heart there with me, it needs to be safe."

_And I need you to be safe_.

She couldn't risk having Robin there. She cared too much about him to have Zelena try and manipulate him so she could get what she wanted. Regina could see it all play out in her head; the Wicked Witch tries to hurt Regina but when that fails, she turns to hurt Robin, and he dies in her arms.

Because that is exactly what Regina would have done; what she had done.

"I won't let you go face her alone, Regina!" he said heatedly. "I need to be there for you. I can't leave you."

"Please, Robin," she begged, saying his name tenderly. She felt so vulnerable, wearing her heart on her sleeve. "If not for me, then for Roland."

She knew it was a low blow, to bring his son into this. Robin, however didn't seem to be holding it against her. Rather, he contemplated her words over, and appeared to be thinking about what she had said.

"And if you die?" he said harshly. "How can I live with myself knowing I let you go to your death without trying to protect you? How can I live with myself knowing I lost my second chance at happiness?"

She crumbled. Regina pulled the man into a kiss, desperate to have his lips on hers. He didn't hesitate to grab her, needing more of her. The kiss was rough, filled with passion and desire, but also with hope and unsaid promises.

She felt like she was sneaking around like a teenager as she said, "I should go; it's getting late, and I don't want her to hurt anyone because I was busy kissing you."

However she didn't want to. She wanted to stay with him, safely in his arms, forgetting the rest of the world. She didn't want to go to this fight when she didn't believe wholeheartedly that she could win. But she knew she couldn't. She had to own up for whatever it was that Zelena hated her for.

"Be careful Regina," he said gently, relinquishing any thought of being able to convince her to stay.

She placed one last kiss on his lips before using magic to arrive at the battle site.


	11. Believe In Us

**Believe In Us**

There was something off about Hook. He seemed slightly distant, and he had a regretful look in his eyes. He made no playful innuendos when he came by the loft, and hadn't talked to her since.

That was a week ago.

She thought that she should give him some space; maybe he just had a lot going on, and didn't have time to drop by and see her. She tried to convince herself that she was overacting when she didn't hear from him

But it had become clear to her that he was avoiding her. And Emma was determined to find out why.

She had no idea what had happened. They had been getting closer and closer ever since he brought her back from New York. She had realised that while Henry might not remember his family, his place was here with them, and she needed to get him to remember, no matter what it took. She had also slowly been accepting that she had feelings for Hook, no matter how hard it was to admit.

He was the only person who kept pushing her walls, and kept coming back for her. He was always who he said he was, and he never abandoned her. So if something was going on with him, then she was going to fight for him, just as he did for her.

She walked to the port, and saw the make shift ship he had. She wanted to ask him about the Jolly Roger, but it was clear that something happened which he wasn't ready to tell her, but it wasn't her place to push him.

"Permission to come aboard, Captain?" she asked with a smile, as she stood on the docks by his ship.

"Emma?" he asked, incredulously when he saw her. "What are you doing here?" he asked her, and she could swear that she almost heard a bit of paranoia in his voice.

"I came to see you," she said firmly, as she boarded the ship. He wasn't looking directly at her, and she could tell he was trying to hide from her.

"Well I'm very busy Lass, do you think it could wait for another time?" he asked, as he continued to make his way around the boat, doing small tasks, as he attempted to seem occupied.

"Hook, I know something is up. Talk to me; tell me what's happening," she said, but he didn't respond. "Hook? Hook! HOOK! Killian!" she grabbed his arm and turned him to face him. "What's happening?" She saw the effect of his given name had on him, as it snapped him out of his actions, and decided that she would keep calling him it.

He had a guilty look on his face, and she could see that there was something that he wasn't telling her.

"Don't ask me that, please Swan. I swore to you I'd never lie to you, so please don't ask me. I wish to keep that oath," he said, pleading her.

But she didn't back down. "I thought we were a team. That we would always fight together. Was that not true?"

"It is! Dammit Emma, I'm trying to protect you, and your family. Why can't you see that? I just want you to be safe!" he said, frustrated.

Emma froze, "What did she do?" she asked. "Killian, what did Zelena do?" She felt the pieces coming together, and she knew exactly what happened. He definitely held a hero complex for someone who claimed not to be a good person.

He had a contemplating look on his face, and she knew he was debating on whether he should tell her or not. It lasted a few moments, but she held her gaze upon his. She wasn't going to back down, not if Zelena threatened him with something.

"I'm just trying to protect you, Love. Please tell me you understand that. I can't tell you what she said; it will hurt too much. Please, just drop it."

"No," she said stubbornly. "You're not alone, Killian. No matter how much you'd like to believe you were. You have a family. David, Snow, Henry, me, we're all your family. So please, stop trying to deal with everything alone. _Try something new, it's called trust_," she quoted back at him.

His eyes met hers, and he was shaking, "I didn't completely tell the truth about Ariel. But I was honest when I said I played no part in it. She was never back in Storybrooke. She was with Eric the entire time, with no help of my own. Zelena disguised herself as Ariel, and I honestly thought it was her; we all did. She got me to swear an oath on your name, confessing my love for you, and used my own feelings against me for her personal gain."

So that's why he was so bleeding modest about Ariel. But she understood where he was coming from.

"What did she do?" Emma whispered. She was scared for him; he looked so broken, so defeated, and she didn't know what to do.

"She put a spell on me. She told me the next time I kissed you, I would drain your magic. You're powerful, Emma, and she can't kill you herself, so she needs your magic gone. I told her I wouldn't do it; I would rather live a thousand years alone than bring any harm to you. But she threatened your family; she said she would hurt Henry, and I can't do that. I-I care for the Lad. He's a great boy, and I just don't know what to do."

"So you've been avoiding me, hoping that it would make it better?" she said, raising an eyebrow. "You could have told me all of this earlier. I wouldn't have been angry at you, Killian, it's not your fault."

"How could I choose though? Your family or the lives of everyone else?" he said, as he looked at the ground.

"There's no saying that she wouldn't just kill them all after," Emma said softly. "She's not exactly trustworthy; we don't know if she would even keep her word."

"So what am I supposed to do then, Lass? Just sit around all day, not kissing you?" he said sarcastically.

"No," she said firmly. "That solves nothing. The only way we can one up her is if we get the curse off you; then we win. If your kiss can't take away my magic, then she has nothing on us."

"And how do you propose we do that?" he asked her, sounding skeptical. His eyes were back on hers, and at times like this, she swore she could see the age in them.

"Have faith," she said simply.

"In what?" he scoffed. "I tried faith; it didn't work out too well…"

"If there's one thing that my parents taught me, is that True Love triumphs all. So believe in that, believe in us."

"Emma," he said slowly. "I don't know if you remember correctly, but I tried True Love's kiss in New York to help you get back your memories and it didn't work. I know I love you, but maybe we're just not written in the stars."

"True Love doesn't work on memory loss; you can only use it if both people remember they're in love with each other," she explained.

"So what, now that Neal is dead you think we're destined?" he said, sounding sorrowfully.

It hurt when he played that card, but she knew where he was coming from. It probably did seem like she was only choosing him now because her other choice was gone.

"I should have told you earlier, but I couldn't. It never would have been Neal, even if he was still alive. What we had was long gone the minute he abandoned me. You wanted the truth, here it is. I love you, Killian Jones, and I believe that our love is strong enough to surpass the spell she put on you. I believe that we're stronger than that, do you?" she said with confidence.

To be honest, she was scared. For the first time in as long as she could remember she was putting herself in a position where she was vulnerable, and where she could get hurt. But love was about taking chances, right?

"I love you, Lass, but what if we fail? What if it isn't enough to break the spell? I'm not taking away your magic, just because I want nothing more than to feel your tender lips on mine once more," he said gently. "I will not be selfish."

"Trust me," was all she said.

He hesitated, and for a brief moment, she thought he wasn't going to do anything. But he scooped her up in her arms, so her chest was pressed against his. She felt her heart skip a beat, as she saw his eyes search hers for any doubts. He must have been satisfied, because he dipped his head down and brought his lips to hers.

She felt a slightly pulse of magic, but she didn't know if it was by breaking the curse, or her losing her magic. Either way, she didn't want to break the connection; not yet. She might not have wanted to admit it back in Neverland, but she loved the sensation of his lips against hers.

Finally, he pulled away, "Did it work? Do you still have your magic?" he asked her urgently.

"I don't know," she confessed.

"Try something?"

She closed her eyes, and focused on channeling her magic on the water below them. When she opened them, she saw that there were multiple particles of water floating in the air, which she seemed to be holding up with her hands.

She dropped them, and the water returned to the sea.

"It worked!" she said with a smile. And better yet, she found something to help her channel her magic. Anger worked for Rumple and Regina, but because theirs was driven by dark magic. Hers came from true love, so it figured that finding hers would help her channel her own.

He pulled her back into a kiss, more tender than before. She could sense the relief on his face at not taking away her powers, but also to finally have her.

She realised something that day. Sometimes, it was okay to take risks and put oneself out there, even though they might get hurt. Because if their feelings are returned, they gain something which makes the fear and the anxiety all worth it.

"Let's go defeat this witch," he said into her hair as he held her in his arms. "Show her that messing with Emma Swan and Killian Jones will not end well for her."

"Let's," she said with a smile.

He held her hand as they walked back into town, ready to put the evil that plagued them for too long into the past.


	12. Operation: Captain Swan

**Operation: Captain Swan**

Henry was no idiot; that was for sure. So many things in Storybrooke (seriously, what kind of town name was that?) weren't adding up.

The first time he saw it was when Emma's friend Mary said she was an inmate with her back during their time together. Seriously, the lady was the most innocent person he had ever seen, and he was expected to believe that she could have been a thief?

When Ruby gave him hot chocolate with cinnamon, he had passed it off as a coincidence that she remembered what his mom liked from back in the day. If Emma grew up in Storybrooke, she would have left before she was sixteen, but at that age, Ruby would have been no more than nine or ten, so it didn't make sense for her to know.

Then Killian claimed that he taught Henry's father how to navigate the stars. Now unless he taught him when they were the same age, it didn't make sense; unless of course Killian had a lot of surgery done to look no more than thirty.

Speaking of Killian, Henry wasn't stupid enough to miss all the looks that he shot his mother, and all the looks that Emma gave him. There was obviously something going on between the two of them; something which would cause Emma to turn down Walsh and move them back to the town where she lived with someone from a past she never mentioned.

He loved his mother, and he knew the pain she had gone through with Neal; she never lied to Henry about anything. It had taken her a while to open up about it, but she told him the entire story. He knew that it meant that his mother didn't usually take chances anymore when it came to her heart, so if she did feel something for Killian, she would not initiate it on her own.

Which meant it was up to him to do something. He would call it Operation Captain Swan. Why? Because Killian reminded him of a pirate with the words he used, the fact that he owns a ship, and had a hook for a hand. While Killian tried to hide it, Henry noticed it; being observant and all.

At first he started by making sure when they came down to breakfast, they would sit in the same booth as Killian. He told his mother it was simply because he liked the man, which he did, and wanted to hear more of his tales of sea adventures. He would see his mother light up brighter than she ever had when she laughed and joked around with them.

That was when he went to phase two: get them to go on a date without him. It would be hard, and if he wanted to succeed he would have to give it everything. He planned it for a week, talking to Ruby about getting her restaurant for a private dinner. The waitress had been happy to help, even giving him tips on how to make the diner look romantic with everything from candles, to soft music playing in the background.

He told his mother that he wanted to have dinner with her privately so he could talk to her about something personal. He refused to tell her what it was, even when he saw the concern growing in her eyes. He knew that Emma was concerned about him, especially since they came to town and she hadn't been around for him as much as she thought she should be. Henry was growing up though, and while he loved her, he didn't need her all the time. She had agreed to meet him at Granny's at seven sharp, so they could have their talk.

Next, Henry had gone to Killian and told him that he needed to talk to him. He had taken a deep breath, trying to seem as serious as possible, and told him he needed to have a man-to-man talk, and that he felt closer to Killian than he ever had to another full grown man. Even with Walsh, while he thought the guy was great, he never felt close to him specifically. Killian seemed concerned as well, which made him all the more easier to convince to show up.

Now, Henry just had to go somewhere to hang out while Killian and his mother had their date.

* * *

"Henry?" Emma called out as she arrived at the dinner. She felt so awful; Zelena was taking up all her time and effort, and she felt as if she hadn't been around for him as much as she used to be.

Odd, the place was eerily empty, especially for prime hours. All the other tables had been cleared off, except for the one at the centre of the diner, which had two candles lit on it, topped off with two sets of cutlery.

"Lad?" she heard a familiar pirate call out. She turned to see Hook standing there. "Emma!" he said in surprise. "I was expecting Henry."

"So was I," she mused. "He told me that he needed to talk to be about something important."

It became clear to her that Henry hadn't needed to talk to her about anything, he just needed for her to show up. And the reason was standing at the door.

"He said the same to me," he said wryly. "I'm assuming this was some sort of get up to get us to have dinner together?"

"I'm sorry," she apoligised. "I don't know what he was thinking. You don't have to stay."

"Oh yes he does," Ruby's voice called out as she came out of the back. "Henry's been planning this all day, down to the menu. So both of you are going to stay, and you will have dinner. Wouldn't want to disappoint the boy, now would you?"

Damn her. She knew exactly which strings to pull to get Emma to do what she wanted.

"I'm up for it if you are, Lass," he said giving her a smile. "It is just dinner after all."

"Right. Just dinner," she said, somewhat sharply.

She couldn't help but wish she dressed up slightly, or put on some lip stick or something.

Emma shook her head as she had that last thought. She didn't even know where it came from, somehow just slipping in.

She sat down opposite to him, as Ruby poured them both a glass of red wine.

"How are you doing with everything, Love?" he said with his accent.

"I don't know," she said softly. "I've been practicing my magic and everything, but what if it's not enough? What if I'm not enough to defeat her? I'm tired, Killian. I'm tired of being the saviour, and having to be the one who stops every villain. When does it all end? When can I just be done?"

Ruby came back less than a second later with a basket of bread, and some salad. Emma reached out and was about to help herself to some, before Killian stopped her and took it upon himself to serve her.

She didn't really know what caused her to open up about it, but lately she's felt herself getting closer and closer to the pirate, ever since he brought back her memories from New York.

"I know it's hard, Emma. You've had so much thrust upon you because of who you are, and you deserve to just be cut a break every now and then. But you always rise to the challenge, and surpass all expectations. I have yet to see you fail," he said softly as he took a sip of his wine.

"But what if I can't? What if this time it's not enough? She wants to go back and make sure my grandmother dies. If she fails, then I won't exist; Henry won't exist."

"That won't happen!" he said sharply. His face was tense when he said that, and she wondered if he angered him. "I won't let her erase your presence, Emma. You may be the one who can defeat her, but you're not alone. You have Regina fighting by you, and you have your parents. But you also have me. And if you think we're going to let you take her down alone, then you are sorely mistaken."

He still had an edgy look about his face, so she placed her hand over his. "I know. Sometimes it seems so hard to remember that I have others in my life that care about me. I-I spent so long being alone, that it still shocks me when I remember all I have gained."

They were interrupted again when Ruby came back with two plates of spaghetti. Obviously Emma had been letting her son watch too many movies.

She saw him relax under her touch. "Emma, my feelings for you have not changed. I still love you, just as I did back in Neverland."

"I know," she spoke softly. "It scares me at times. I loved Walsh during that year that I had away. I wanted him to be around for Henry and to be a part of our lives. But there was something always off about it, other than the fact that he was a flying monkey," she added before he could make a retort. "I never felt as comfortable with him, or as whole with him as I do with you. There's something about you, Killian Jones that makes me feel safe. You make me feel something that scared me so much for so long, but I'm tired of letting fear ruling my life, you know? I'm tired of being afraid of what could happen, and thus doing a dance with you around the topic."

"Emma," he said, his voice sounding hoarse. "Lass-"

"I like you a lot, Killian," she whispered. "I can't say the L word yet. I'm not there yet. But I have feelings for you, so strong that I don't even know what to do with them."

"I can deal with that," he said gently. "I don't need proclamations of your undying love yet, Love. I just need to know that you can be mine to love."

She reached across the table and pulled his head into a kiss. "I'm yours," she whispered after pulling away.

He had a slightly dazzled look about him. She was about to lean back in to place another kiss on his lips when they heard, "So I'll take it that you don't need dessert?" Ruby said with a smile as she cleared away their plates.

* * *

Henry grinned brightly as Ruby told him what happened between his mother and Killian the night before. It seemed to him that he didn't need phase three.


	13. A Moment Like This

**A Moment Like This**

Emma watched as her son talk to Regina and catch up with his adoptive mother. It had hurt her a little bit to see him so happy. Him remembering should have solved all her problems, yet somehow she felt a bit trapped. She had wanted to go back to New York; not because she had wanted to go back, but because she wanted to run away from her feelings. Every time she let someone in, she was hurt; especially romantically. Neal had sent her to jail, Graham was killed, and Walsh turned out to be a flying monkey, sent as a distraction.

And while she felt so strongly for Killian, she didn't want to let him in; she couldn't.

"Killian," she said softly as she turned to face the pirate, "I need to know what Zelena meant. What did she mean about you having a deal. What aren't you telling me, Killian?"

"She cursed me, Swan. I tried to stop her, but she threatened everyone! She threatened you, your son, your parents, if I didn't obey!" He said, sounding desperate for her to believe him.

"Were you in on this? What were you trying to do to Henry? Were you going to kidnap him?" she pressed.

"No! I was trying to keep him safe! I was just trying to protect him too," Killian said, and she could see the frustration piling up in his eyes.

"How?" she demanded to know. Her pulse was racing, not knowing what he was about to tell her.

"She threatened my lips," he said, and he saw a quick flash of amusement pass over her face, before returning to how serious they were before. "She knows what the rest of us do; she knows how powerful you are. The only way for her to win is if she takes away your magic; something she wants me to do by kissing you and getting rid of it."

"You should have told me!" she protested. "It had to do with Henry and I deserved to know!"

"I don't think you should trust him," David says as he walked up from behind. "You said you received a message, but neither Snow or I sent one. So how did you know to come back?"

"What?" Killian said, sounding confused, "But I received one! Emma, I swear to you, I'm not lying!"

She took a deep breath, and turned to face him. None of it was adding up right, and she didn't know what to do. Emma looked into Killian's eyes and saw a variety of emotions; pain, suffering, exasperation. But none of them were dishonesty.

"I believe you," she said softly. "You shouldn't kept it from me, but I believe you."

"Emma," she heard her mother yell out in shock. "How can you trust him? He's a pirate!"

"But he has never lied to me," Emma said firmly. "Not once in all the time I knew him has he said anything which was false. He told me in the diner that he was keeping something, and he told me that he couldn't tell me. But he never was dishonest. So I believe him; there are so many others who could have sent it to him; there was no signature on the note, he assumed it was you both."

She saw his eyes soften as he looked at her, "Thank you, Emma," he said softly. "I was wrong to keep it from you, but I thought I was doing the right thing. I couldn't sacrifice any of your family, not when they mean so much to you."

Emma squeezed his hand, "Let's go. We need to go face the rest of the town."

She could tell her parents were still wary of him, but David was the first to drop it, "We've all done crazy things to protect the people we love," her father said, as he clapped the pirate on the back. "I don't approve of you keeping it from me, or from anyone, but I would have done the same thing if she cursed me."

Her mother didn't say anything, and Emma knew she still had distaste for the pirate. David shot her a look and she sighed, "Fine. I believe you too. I hurt David when trying to protect him from King George, so I suppose I'm no better."

Killian looked stunned. Emma could tell that he didn't expect to still have everyone standing by him after all that happened. She laced her fingers through his. Henry remembering had given her what she had lost; hope. She was still scared, but she was ready to at least try.

He looked down at their hands intertwined together, and a smile crossed his lips. As they walked to town, Emma not once loosened her fingers, nor did he do the same. When Henry saw them, he gave her a look, and Emma knew she would have a lot of explaining to do, both to her son, and to her parents who were whispering like children from behind them the entire journey. But for now, she would enjoy the moment. Because with her life and all the excitement, she had long learnt that she should take advantage of moments like these when all was quiet, even if they only lasted a few seconds.


	14. True Love

**True Love**

"Well seeing that the bloody pirate wouldn't just kiss you and strip you of your powers like he was supposed to, I'm just going to have to take you out myself," Zelena said, pretending as if she was suffering a great injustice.

The witch had taken her newborn brother, and Emma would be damned if she used him in her wicked plots. Yes, she had been sceptical about having a brother when she would be nearly 30 years older than him, but she didn't care anymore. She loved him so much, and she would do anything to protect him.

"How?" Emma scoffed. "You can't kill me, or you would have done so already. So don't pretend like you have the upper hand in this situation, because you don't."

"Maybe I can't kill you," Zelena said, as her mouth twisted into a sick grin. "But that doesn't mean that I can't get rid of you."

Before she could react, the witch raised her hands and shot a spell at Emma.

"No!" She heard her parents yell out as they tried to stop it.

"Swan!" Killian screamed. He was quicker to react than she was. He jumped forward to push her out of the way, taking the full blunt of the curse. She tried to catch him as he fell to the ground, with his eyes closed.

"Killian!" she said desperately, trying to get a response from him. "Please, wake up!"

"Emma, it's a sleeping curse," her mother said hurriedly.

"What do I do?" she said, and a tear slipped down her face. Stupid, bloody pirate. What was he thinking?

"Kiss him," her father said firmly. "It's the only thing that will work."

"But-" she tried to protest. She wasn't his true love, she couldn't be.

"Emma, you need to believe that you are in order for it to work," her mother said softly. "Look, I know I pushed you towards Neal from day one, simply because he's Henry's father. I guess I thought first love must equal true love, but it's not in your case. I see the way you look at him, and how he looks at you. You both care about each other so much, and I know he would die for you; he just did take a curse to save you. Believe in your love for him, Emma."

"It's never going to work," Zelena taunted. "You're unlovable. Your own parents gave you away because they didn't want you. And now they had a second chance. Your brother would have been the child they never got to have or raise. They don't need you. Your son has his adoptive mother; he's happier with her. And your pirate? He doesn't love you; he isn't capable of it."

Emma listened to the witch's words. They should have affected her, or even have placed a seed of doubt in her mind, and clouded her judgement. But it didn't.

"No," she said softy. "You're wrong. I am loved. I am not alone. I love my parents, and I love my son. But on top of that, I love my pirate. And I am going to be damned if I let you take him away from me."

She didn't hesitate as she closed her eyes and pressed her lips against Killian's kissing him as if her life depended on it. Within seconds, she could feel his lips kissing her back, and his hand threading through her hair.

"It's about bloody time, Love," he said breathily.

She didn't notice that there had been a flash of magic sweep through the land. When she looked up, she saw the witch had fallen over, and appeared to be dead.

"What happened?" she asked her parents, who had seen the whole thing.

"Light magic," Snow said. "Your magic is the most pure magic of them all, and what is more pure than the magic of true love? When you kissed him, she screamed and fell over, defeated. The pendant went flying, and she stopped moving. You did it Emma!"

Her father was holding her brother, yet still managed to give Killian a firm look, "We will be having a talk about this later. But for now, let's go celebrate, together as a family."

Killian stayed back. She stopped and looked at him, "Aren't you coming?" she asked him gently.

"You go celebrate with your family, Love," he said, his voice sounding somewhat strangled.

"I will, and that includes you too," she said, as she reached out and held on to his hook. "You're family too."

She paused for a second, "But if you ever do anything stupid again, I will kill you," she threatened.

He plastered a stupid smile on his face, and she melted. "Come on, Pirate. Let's go join everyone."


	15. A Change of Fate, Pt I

**A Change of Fate**

Emma remembered sitting in the hospital, laughing with her family; her mom, her dad, her son, and her brother, but also with Killian. They had just defeated Zelena not more than an hour ago, and it seemed that for the moment that all was well.

Soon she would leave, go back to her life in New York, but for now, she would stay here, happy with the family she never had growing up. She wanted what was best for her son, and a land without magic, curses, wicked witches, or other dreadful things would be it.

But then came the flash green of light, sweeping them away from Storybrooke.

* * *

Emma fell back on the hard ground with a _thud_. She looked around to see forest surrounding her on all sides. Frowning, Emma sat up, unsure of how she got there. Killian was still out of it, lying beside her.

She reached over and shook him, "Killian, wake up," she said urgently. His blue eyes shot open in confusion, and he immediately shot up.

"Swan?" he asked her, uncertainly. "Where are we?"

"I have no idea," she said sounding grim. "All I know is that one moment we were in the Enchanted Forest, and now we're here, in some forest."

"It doesn't look like the Land Without Magic," Killian speculated, as he squinted his eyes and looked around.

He stood up, and held out his hand to help her. Grateful, she grasped his hand as he pulled her to her feet.

"How do you know?" she asked as she looked around. If she were being truthful, she would admit that she couldn't really tell the difference. But she didn't want to say that aloud just yet.

He pointed to a nearby tree, "Those flowers growing on the ground are native to this land, and as far as I'm aware, they don't exist in your land."

She looked at where he was pointing, and saw the pink plants. They had a glow to them, something which was definitely magic related. And as far as she could tell, they definitely were not found in her world.

"What do we do?" she whispered. "We need to get back; Mary Margret and David will be wondering what happened to us. And Henry! He's going to be so worried," she said, upset.

"I don't know, Lass," Killian admitted gently.

"How did you get back last time?" she asked him frantically. "Obviously you didn't have a bean; there are none of those left."

"I used enchanted wood," he said, sounding somewhat distant. She could tell that he was attempting to evade the subject.

"The wardrobe was burnt to ashes, and we used all of it," Emma insisted firmly. "How did you get back?"

"Aye, Lass it was, but it is not the only enchanted wood in this realm. My ship, she was also made from enchanted wood," he said softly.

"Was?" she asked him carefully.

"I needed to come back to you, Emma. I needed to save you. There never was any competition between your life and my ship," Killian said, as he looked her directly in the eyes. "I burnt her to a crisp so I could get the ashes to use to come find you."

She couldn't breathe. She felt her heart constrict in her chest as he told her what he had done, "Why?" she whispered.

"Because I love you," he said sadly, as if his love was unrequited.

She wanted to run. It was in her instincts to hide; to rise her walls up higher that before and to pretend she didn't hear what he said. She wanted to be able to do it; it had kept her safe so many times before. But she couldn't.

So instead she hugged him tightly, knocking him off guard. He seemed hesitant at first, but he wrapped his arms around her waist to bring her in tighter.

"Thank you," she said softly into his chest. "Killian, I don't want to fight it anymore. I'm tired of that. I'm tired of pretending that I don't love you, or that I don't need you, because none of it's true. I'm tired of not being able to have you."

He pulled away slightly, so he could look at her, "I will always be here, Emma. I'm not going anywhere."

She brushed her lips against his. "I know. Now let's go find a way to get out of here."

They had walked no more than a mile when she saw the wanted poster, with a picture of none other than her mother.

**Wanted: Snow White, Dead or Alive**

_By Order of the Queen_

"Killian," Emma said as she pointed to the poster. She ripped it off the tree and handed it to him. "How is this still here?"

"Could it have been left from before? When your mother was still being persecuted?" he asked her as he held the poster in his hand.

"No, I doubt it," Emma said. "The paper looks brand new. Besides, doesn't this forest look _odd_ to you? It's so full of life. It wasn't like this when I came here last time."

"Nor was it when we all returned. Emma, this is the Enchanted Forest, but it isn't the same as the one that once was here,"

The two of them walked further, until they managed to stumble upon a village. "Emma, Love, I need you to trust me. I know how to talk to these people, so please, let me take the lead," he said softly as he slipped his fingers through hers.

She wanted to protest, to say that she was capable of handling herself, but she knew he was right, so she simply nodded.

"Excuse me," he addressed a villager. "My wife and I are new to these parts. Could you possibly tell us who the ruler of the realm is?" he asked, sounding polite.

The man he was talking to, a short stout one, seemed to have fear cross his eyes, "The ruler is the Evil Queen, Regina. If I were you, I would turn around and get my wife safely out of these parts. It is not one safe for a newlywed couple such as yourself."

Emma didn't question how he came to that conclusion. "Do you think I could borrow a dress for my wife and myself? As you can see, our attire isn't exactly of the norm, and I do not wish to draw any unexpected attention to ourselves while here."

The villager nodded, "Of course. My wife has something which should fit you."

The man scurried off, and Emma turned to him, "How could Regina be a ruler here? Isn't she back in Storybrooke?"

"I think the question Lass, shouldn't have been where are we, but _when_," Killian said grimly. "It makes sense with the forest looking full of life, your mother on the run, and these villiagers scared mindless of their queen. Somehow, Zelena's curse must have worked, bringing us all back to where we were before."

"How are you here then?" she asked with a frown.

"I hadn't come back from Neverland quite yet, I assume. When I returned, the queen was away as she was preparing for her curse to be cast, and captured me nearly as soon as I returned. You also belong in this world, but were not around yet. So the two of us were just dumped together, in a place where neither of us belong."

"What about Henry," Emma asked frantically. "What if he wasn't brought back? Or what if he just wasn't born?"

"I can't pretend to tell you, Love," he said softly. "All I know is that we need to find your mother and father, and see if they have a solution. But first, let's change into more suitable clothing. Then we'll do this the way we do everything; together."

They took the clothing from the man, changed into it, and went on their way. It was going to be another long journey, but at least she wouldn't be going

through it alone.

* * *

**A/N:** I haven't quite decided if I want to make this multiple parts or not, but for now, here's an oneshot! I died from the episode, and the promo re-killed me.


	16. A Change of Fate, Pt II

**A Change of Fate, Pt II**

"I don't get it," Emma said as they walked down the road. It had been nearly an hour since they had left the village, and they had yet to stumble upon anyone else.

Honestly, she knew it was called the Enchanted Forest, but she was so sick of seeing nothing but trees everywhere she turned.

"What, Lass?" Killian asked, as he turned his head sideways.

"Zelena. How did she get out of the prison? And if she got back here, why didn't she go back further in time to wipe out my grandmother? Isn't that what she wanted?"

"I wish I knew, Lass," Killian said with a shake of his head. "Although, there was something Regina said back before all of this. She said she was only happy because she was given a second chance."

"Because she didn't succeed in killing my mother, she ended up happy," Emma said with realization. "So if Zelena is here somehow, she's going to make sure my mother ends up dead."

Killian stopped and turned to her, "I'm not going to let that happen, Emma. I care about you and your family too much to let any harm come to them."

"Our family," she said softly, as she took her hands and held onto his. "I know David considers you to be a close friend, and Henry looks up to you, Killian. You're not on the outside; they're our family."

"Thank you," he said softly. He wrapped his arms around her waist and pulled her in tightly. He pulled away slightly, "Emma, there's a tree cut down on the road up ahead," he said as he broke the moment.

She looked up to see a rather large tree fallen down. It didn't look accidental, but almost as if someone had cut it down intentionally.

"We should be careful," she said softly. "It could be bandits."

They heard a neigh of horses, followed by the sound of what appeared to be a carriage being drawn by them. Someone was coming, and Emma didn't want to take her chances.

"We should hide. It could be the bandits, or even worse, Regina and her men," Killian said, as he dragged her to the side of the road. They hid behind a few trees and watched as the carriage came to a stop.

What Emma was not expecting was for her father to step out of it. Him, and a group of soldiers dressed in white walked over to the tree to inspect it.

"This didn't fall; it looks like it was cut down," David said. "Which means-"

"Stop! Thief!" a female's voice cried from inside the carriage. Emma strained her head to see Kathryn inside. Why was her father with her? She saw a figure with a bag of what Emma presumed to be jewels ride off on a horse.

"I wonder who that is." Emma remarked, as she watched David climb onto a horse and take off after the thief. For a shepherd, he sure acted like a prince. "Killian, I want to go see what happens. Even if we can't talk to him just yet. I feel like this is something important."

"Of course, Lass," he said. "But we better go quickly. Our feet are no match for horses."

She slipped her hand through his, and the two began running behind the horses, while staying hidden in the forest. Thankfully, her father and the thief hadn't gotten too far.

They caught up just in time to see David pull himself on top of the thief.

"Show your face, you coward," David said, as he pulled back ready to punch. "You're a girl!"

"Woman," the lady said. Emma nearly gasped when she realised just who it was.

"Is that your mother?" Killian breathed softly.

David seemed to be staring at her, half in confusion, half in awe. He didn't seem to notice that she picked up a rock and hit him on the side of the head, causing him to fall over in pain.

Snow jumped up, and climbed on to her horse, while David staggered to his feet.

"You can't hide from me!" David screamed after her, as Snow raced away. "Where ever you are, I will find you."

It was weird to hear the phrase her father said to her mother so many times with love, be uttered with anger and animosity.

"I think we just witnessed how my parents met," Emma said in awe. It was weird to watch. It definitely was nothing like the Disney version where Snow sang around a well and Charming came over to see her. It was more realistic, yet somehow still managed to have a fairy tale aura around it.

"What is it with you women hitting men in the head?" Killian asked with a half smirk. "I think I still have the scars from when you hit me back at Lake Nostros."

She playfully bumped into him, as she watched her father get back on his horse and ride to where Katheryn was.

"Killian, I don't know what to do. Do we follow them around and make sure nothing hurts my mother? Or do we go about our tasks and try and find Zelena," Emma asked, sounding unsure.

"I think we need to see someone who can tell us all about which would be our best chance for winning," Killian said grimly, and she knew he could only be talking about one person.

"Then I have to do it alone," she said quietly.

"I'm not letting you talk to that _crocodile_ alone, Emma! I don't care how much he progressed in our time. In this time, he is still the vile monster that he once was," Killian said heatedly.

"Which is exactly why I have to do this alone," Emma said firmly. "You're right; he still is that monster. But in this time, you're a villain obsessed with hunting him down and killing him. How would he react if he saw you? I can't lose you, Killian; which is why I alone must summon him and why you cannot be there when I do."

"I don't like this idea," Killian said softly. "But I trust you. I'll wait here. You go far enough as you need to, and summon him. And when you're done, come back to me, Swan."

"I love you," she told him gently. She wished he could be with her, but she was not willing to gamble with his life. If Rumplestilitskin was as bad as the stories made him out to be, then nothing would stop him from killing Killian if he wished it.

She turned, and walked a good five minutes up ahead, before stopping, "Rumplestilskin, I summon thee," Emma said, as she quoted lines she had read in Henry's book.

She heard a giggle from behind her, "Well, well, dearie. Aren't you a pleasant surprise?"

"Do you know who I am?" Emma asked, not wanting to reveal anything

"Ah yes, the beloved Savior. I saw you, Dearie, so of course I know who you are."

"Then you know why I called you, Rumplestilskin. I need your help to find Zelena and defeat her in this time. I cannot let her mess up the time stream," Emma said frantically.

"And why would I do that," he said, pretending not to be interested.

"Because you want something from me," Emma said, as she looked at him. She could read people well enough at this point to know when someone did, and when to use it against them.

"Fine. She's going to try and kill your mother. The only reason she stayed alive in your time stream is because she had friends to help her. Zelena is going to kill all of Snow's allies, including your father, making it easy for Regina to pick her off," Rumple said, with his beady eyes staring into her.

"How do I defeat her?" Emma asked.

"I don't know the details of what happened in the future. But you have magic, Emma. Use your light magic to save everyone," he said.

"It's a bit late for that. I lost it to a curse. Zelena cast a spell on someone who I care about so that when I kissed him, my magic was taken away from me," Emma said, hopelessly. If magic was her only solution, then they were all screwed.

"Pure magic cannot be permanently taken away, Saviour. It can however be disabled, which is what that witch did," He said as he giggled.

"How do I get it back?" Emma asked him.

"Why, True Love of course. I assume it was on the same man that you lost it to who is also your True Love?"

Emma hesitated slightly. She loved Killian, but what if it wasn't True Love? What if it wasn't strong enough?

But she had never felt so strongly with anyone else. When he was dying, she felt as if a part of her was lost; when Neal fell through the portal, she felt as if she was simply losing him.

"Yes, he is," she said firmly. "But I've since kissed him, and nothing."

"Was it a true kiss? Or a simple peck? Because those things are not as strong, you know," Rumple said. "But I've told you all you need to know. Now tell me, Saviour. Do I succeed? Do I get my son back?"

She didn't have the heart to him the entire truth, "Yes. The curse works, and you find your son after it breaks."

"Thank you," he said, before poofing away with a cloud of smoke. Not one for conversation, was he?

Emma thought about what he said, as she walked back to the spot where Killian was. He was sitting on the same rock where she had left him, not even looking as if he had moved and inch.

She ran up to him and once he stood up, she grabbed his head, and crashed her mouth down to his. She kissed him hard, and while she could tell he was surprised, he didn't pause to question it.

When she pulled apart from him, but managed to keep his arms around her, "I love you, Killian Jones."

"I love you too, Emma," he said, with a smile on his face. "What did that Imp say?"

She closed her eyes, and concentrated on her magic. She managed to summon two mugs of hot chocolate, similar to those Granny would make. She handed one to him, as he stared at her with bewilderment.

"How did you do that?" he breathed. "Your magic, it's back!"

"You didn't take away my magic with that kiss. You just blocked it. And kissing you unblocked it," she said with a smile. "My True Love." She took a sip of her drink in contentment.

He grinned, and pulled her in tighter. "I love you so much, Swan. Now, what shall we do first?"

"We need to defeat Zelena. But somehow we have to make sure she doesn't kill everyone else, Archie, Ruby and Granny, my father, and everyone else who helped my mother and father defeat Regina. I don't know what to do."

"I think we need to see your father, without telling him who we are. It's inevitable that we cross paths with him," Killian said softly.

"Do you know your way to the castle?" she asked him. While she had gone to the palace where they had lived once before, it wasn't enough for her to know how to get there."

"I, well, uh-no. if we were at sea, then I might be able to get back. But not from here."

"When do you get back from Neverland, Killian? Do you know what was happening exactly around that time?" she asked him gently.

"The rebellion against King George and Queen Regina was heating up. I think your father just broke off his engagement with Princess Abagail, and your mother was collecting her friends to help her and David take George's kingdom after imprisoning the queen. They were at war for a few weeks, but I should get back in a few days from now, seeing that once your parents met, it was about a week until David freed Abagail's prince from being turned to gold."

"How do you know so much?" she asked him in awe.

"I'm a pirate, Love. To know how to survive, it is important to be aware of politics. Got to know which kingdoms are worth pillaging after all," he said with a smirk.

She rolled her eyes, "Of course, now how do we get to the sea?"

"Why do we need to do that?" he asked her in confusion.

"We're stealing your ship, of course," she said with a smirk. "If we're going to the castle, then we need a ship after all."

"I like how you think," he said with a smile. "Let's get to the sea then. If we can't make a deal with my past self, then I'll find a way to deal with it."

They walked together for about an hour, but nothing. No water in sight, only more land. Finally, she paused and turned to him.

"Are you sure you even know where we're going?" she asked him in exasperation.

"I, uh, no," he admitted. "I guess I don't really know the land as well as I hoped." He stopped suddenly. "Emma, Love, there's a wolf behind you. Don't make any sudden movements, or it might attack."

Emma turned slowly, unsure of what she would find. However, when she did, she realised something, "I know that wolf, Killian."

"Graham?" she called out. "Huntsman?"

Killian seemed to be looking at her in confusion, but didn't question her. Slowly, a man came out of the forest.

"How do you know my name?" The man questioned her.

"I've heard things about you. I heard how you're kind and that you have a good heart. I've heard that you helped Snow White, when there was nothing in it for you," she said softly.

"Then you should know that I am not that person anymore. The Evil Queen took my heart, and any compassion I might have had."

"She may control you, but she cannot take away the part of you that is human, Huntsman. I know you; you're strong, and your own person."

"Why?" Graham questioned her. "You don't know me. So why are you talking to me as if you did?"

"I knew someone like you once; he was strong and full of life. Huntsman, we need your help. No one knows the forest as well as you do; if you would kindly help us get to the sea, we would forever be in your debt. There is something we need to do, to help Snow win against the Queen."

"I cannot take you there. Regina will know if I go on any quest for far too long. But I can however send my wolf with you. My brother will take you there, and make sure you find your way. You remind me of Snow White; she was loyal, kind, and fair, and didn't deserve her fate. So I want to help you too; anything to bring down that queen."

She reached forward and hugged him slightly. She never got to love Graham. Maybe if circumstances were different, she might have been able to, but she wouldn't change any of it. For she did love Killian, more than she could ever place into words.

"Go Brother," Graham bent down and spoke to his wolf. "Take these people to the Northern Harbour, then come back and find me."

The wolf howled, and began walking. Emma gave one final glace towards Graham, before turning away. She had been playing with his shoelace that she wore on her wrist through the entire meeting. It was weird for her to see him, when she never thought she would see him again.

Killian waited until they were a good distance away before speaking, "You knew him, didn't you?" he asked her gently.

"Yes," she said. "Graham was the sheriff of Storybrooke when I got to town. He was kind to me, even though Regina was controlling his heart. I began to care for him, and he cared for me. But Regina didn't like that. She thought I was taking away everything from him, her son, and the lover she was controlling. So she took his heart and crushed it." She gulped, "I was with him when he passed. He died in my arms. If only I had believed him when he said he was beginning to recall his who he was, or Henry who tried to get me to believe about the curse."

"It's not your fault, Emma," Killian said softly. "Regina is different now. But the one who existed before was cruel and vindictive. If she wanted to truly kill Graham, then she would have succeeded, regardless of whether you believed or not.

The wolf sprinted forward suddenly, leaving Emma and Killian to have to chase after him. Finally, when he stopped, Emma looked around to see water.

"Killian, your ship, she's here," Emma gasped slightly.

"Time to go meet my less than stellar former self," Killian said sounding grim.

**A/N: **By popular request, I wrote another part to this story. Part of me is wondering if something dramatic will happen in the show, causing something which alters the timeline to happen. Hmm… Well until next time, when Killian and Emma get to meet Hook.


	17. A Change of Fate, Pt III

**A Change of Fate, Pt III**

"Are you sure this is even going to work?" Emma asked skeptically. "What if he's not even into me?"

"He will be," Killian promised. "I was attracted to you from the moment I laid my eyes upon you."

Emma smiled at that. She never told anyone, but she had been highly attracted to Killian too when she saw him. It wouldn't have helped her at all if instead of interrogating him, she jumped his bones.

"So what are we going to do when we get to the ship?" Emma whispered from side. They were close to the ship, but had yet to board. She had changed her wardrobe temporarily, using magic, to appear as if she were a female pirate.

Emma had blushed slightly when she realised that Killian couldn't take his eyes off her.

"He's not going to want to give up the ship easily. Hook from this time cared about nothing but his revenge, so I doubt he's going to be willing to help. Especially if he finds out I gave up my revenge," he said softly.

"Why did you? I mean you made a truce when we went to Neverland, then Rumple died, but what about after? Especially when Zelena was controlling him, you could have used it as opportunity to kill him," Emma asked him carefully.

"Hook had nothing to live for. After Milah died, the only thing I had left was the need for revenge. It motivated me was killing the Crocodile. But after I met you, I found something else; I found a family, and people who I cared about. I gave up my revenge because I wanted to live, with you," Killian said as he gazed at her.

"You're my second chance too," Emma told him. "You're my second chance at happiness and to have a family."

He squeezed her hand, "Let's go commandeer us a ship."

They decided the best bet would be for her to get Hook alone in his cabin, that way it wouldn't raise suspicions if there were two of the same man on board. So while she climbed up the side in a way she knew would get her noticed, and Killian climbed up the side he knew would be unmanned.

Emma wondered why she always ended up climbing up things when she was with Killian. Thankfully for her, the ship had quite a few ledges which made climbing easier.

When she reached the top, she made a point to stand on the rail so she could be seen. "Who be the captain of this vessel?" she asked.

"Who's asking?" she heard Smee question her. The short man with the red cap came forward, attempting to be more intimidating than she knew he was.

"Emma Swan, Pirate Queen of this realm," Emma said, as she enjoyed being able to play her role. She had always enjoyed watching pirate films growing up, and this gave her a chance to get to act like one.

"Can't be very fearsome if I've never heard of you," a familiar sultry voice called out. She turned her head to the right to see Captain Hook standing there. From her periphery, she could see Killian sneak onto the ship, and into the Captain's Quarters.

"Been gone a long time, Captain Hook," Emma said with a smirk. "Much has changed in this realm since that time."

"So I can see," Hook said as he looked her over. "State your business, Captain Swan."

She jumped down from the railings and made her way over to him. As she ran her fingers down her chest, she leaned in to whisper into his ear, "Perhaps we could take this someplace more private?"

"How about my quarters?" Hook asked her with a grin.

"Sounds perfect," she purred. She leaned into his chest, and pushed her body against his.

"Men, I trust you'll keep yourselves occupied in the meantime." Hook asked, as he gave them a suggestive wink.

They laughed crudely as Hook guided her to his room. He held his hand on her lower waist, and as much as she cared for Killian, she was so tempted to slap Hook.

"So Captain Swan, shall we take care of business or pleasure first? Unless they are one and the same," he said suggestively.

"They could have been. Shame it would never be with you," Emma said smugly.

Hook's eyes widened in confusion, but he didn't have much time to think about it as Killian snuck up behind Hook and hit him over the head.

"Ow," Killian said as he rubbed the back of his head. "Apparently injuring the back of his head hurts me too."

She laughed as she walked up to him and placed a kiss on his head, "Does this make it better?"

Killian grinned, "Much. Now, since you implied to the crew that we would be doing dirty things, I suggest we wait a while before going back out there, and find some way to occupy ourselves in the meantime," he said, wiggling his brows.

She smacked his chest gently, "There will be none of that now. Give it a few moments, then we'll go back out there."

"We should take care of him first; the last thing we need is for him to wake up and question why another version of him has taken over his ship," Killian warned.

Emma flicked her wrist, and Hook was tied up against a pillar. She walked over, and wrapped a cloth around his mouth to stop him from saying anything.

"I swear you get off on tying me up," Killian smirked. "Why else would you do it so often?"

She chose to simply roll her eyes at him, "Come one; let's go tell the crew we're going to rob a castle or something."

* * *

He twirled her around, then drew her back into him. Emma knew her parents had been royalty, yet it still amazed her how glamorous the life was; aside from people trying to kill you every thirty seconds.

"Where did you learn to dance like this?" Emma asked, dazed from his skills.

She supposed it could have been from his pirate days, when he actually went about robbing castles, and not just pretended to.

"I was a Lieutenant in the Royal Army. It was a requirement of men to know how to dance when attending social functions," he said, with pain in his eyes.

One day, when she could properly listen and when he would be able to talk about it, she would ask him. She wanted to know about him; about everything. The storybook Henry had only contained bits relevant to the stories of others, but never about him. She supposed it was because he wasn't a hero, and didn't get a happy ending at that time. Emma couldn't help but wonder if the book updated itself in light of current events.

"Love, as much as I adore having you in my arms, your father is making a move to get to the balcony for some time alone," Killian whispered in her ear.

Emma broke out of his arms, but intertwined her fingers in his. They made their way through the castle, trying to catch up with them.

"Prince James!" Emma called out, as she entered the room he was in. What she did not expect to see was her mother and father wrapped into a passionate kiss.

When David heard the name he was masquerading under, he pulled away, stunned. Seeing others, he quickly drew his sword, pushing Snow behind him. "What do you want? Who sent you?"

She raised her hands in surrender, "I'm not here to hurt you. I'm an ally," Emma said gently.

"Oh yeah? Then why are you with a pirate?" Snow asked her, not trusting her peace statement.

"It's a very long story. Do you think we could go somewhere to talk?" Emma asked them. "If it makes you feel better, you can take our weapons."

Killian started to protest, but she shot him a look. "Of course your highnesses," Killian said, as he drew his sword and gave it to them.

"Your hook too," David said, refusing to drop his sword. "There's a price on her head, and there's close to being one on mine too. The last thing we need is for you to be here to collect."

Emma handed them the sword she had hidden in her pirate boots.

"This room is secure," Snow said softly. "Other than for you two, which I still don't understand, no one can get in."

They had decided on telling them a version of the story, which didn't involve telling them who Emma was in relationship to them. It was the easiest thing to do, seeing that otherwise they would have no reason to believe them.

"We're not from here," Emma began.

"So you're from a different realm?" David asked in confusion.

"Not exactly," Emma hesitated. "We're from a different time."

"Time travel is not possible!" Snow protested. "It breaks the laws of magic."

"A powerful sorceress in our time found a way to do so, and she came back here to change things. She wants her happy ending, and that threatens the future as we know it," Killian told them.

"And how does that affect us?" David asked.

"Because to do so, she needs to kill you, Prince David, and all the allies you have, so Regina can kill Snow," Emma explained.

"How do you know my real name?" David asked, raising his sword higher.

"Because in the future, I know you. We're…friends. And Killian and I came back, to prevent whatever Zelena, the witch, tries to do so the future proceeds the way it's supposed to," Emma said.

"Okay," Snow said softly.

"You believe them?" David asked incredulously.

"Yes," Snow said confidently. "There's something about Emma. She looks familiar. But she's telling the truth. So I trust her. If this witch succeeds, then we all die, David. Not just me or you, but everyone we care about. We cannot let that happen."

"Then we have a lot of plans to make," Killian said grimly


	18. A Change of Fate, Pt IV

**A Change of Fate, Pt IV**

"So what's the plan?" Killian whispered to her as they snuck into the castle.

"I'm going to talk to Regina," Emma said quietly. "And I need you to make sure Zelena doesn't come in, or warn me if she's near."

"Got it, Love," Killian said softly. "Sure you don't want my help with her? From what I hear, the two of you didn't have the best relationship in the beginning."

"If she sees you, she'll be confused. She's heard of you, but she doesn't know about me," Emma told him gently.

"Good luck, Lass. I hope you're successful," Killian said carefully, as he let her pass by him.

"Me too," Emma said. For all of their sakes, it would defeat the purpose if Regina ended up killing her.

She had been scouting the castle for the last day, and she was sure that right now Zelena was definitely not with Regina; however it was something that could change at any moment. She placed a kiss on Killian's cheek, then snuck into Regina's room.

While she knew she would have to talk to Regina, she didn't expect for the Evil Queen to be standing right by the door.

"Who are you, and what are you doing in my room, let alone my castle?" Regina's voice called out. "Guards!"

From nowhere, two soldiers dressed in black came and grabbed her by the arms. She struggled and began to protest.

"Wait! At least give me a moment!" Emma shouted. "Please."

Regina motioned her hand for her to go on, seeming as if she had no patience to deal with her.

"My name is Emma. I need to talk to you about something important, your future," Emma said, trying to sound convincing.

"What are you, a damn gypsy?" Regina sneered. "If I wanted my future predicted, I would summon Rumplestiltskin."

"So do it. He'll tell you that I'm telling the truth. Your future depends on what I have to say," Emma said firmly.

Regina sighed, "Fine, let's have it. But trust me, if I find you to be anything less than truthful, I will kill you on the spot."

"I'm not afraid of you. But that's less than the point. Regina, your future is endangered. I know you have been working with Zelena, but you need to stop," Emma warned.

"How do you know about her?" Regina sputtered. "She promised that no one would even know she was here.

"Because she's from the future, as am I. Regina, she says she wants to help you succeed, but she's lying. If you listen to her, then you will end up unhappy in the future. Because that is exactly what Zelena wants, for you to be unhappy."

"How will her killing all of my enemies make me unhappy?" Regina questioned. "That is the most ridiculous thing I've ever heard."

"It's the process of events. Certain things must happen, and if she succeeds, then they will never come to pass. Regina, I know it seems hard to believe, but in the future, you have a family. You get a second shot of happiness, and trust me, it's worth it. I just need for you not to trust her," Emma explained, hoping she would get through to the witch.

"And why would she want me to be unhappy? I've never heard of her," Regina stated plainly.

"She's your sister. Cora gave her away to get ahead in life, and because of that, she's convinced that you had everything in life, so she wants to take it all away from you," Emma told her.

Regina paused, "Are you sure I end up happy?"

"Yes. I can't give you details. I wish I could tell you, but I cannot," Emma said gently, as she placed a hand on her shoulder.

"What do you need me to do?" Regina questioned.

"You're not going to like it," Emma warned.

"Why not?"

"Because you need to work with Snow White," Emma said carefully, unsure of what reaction she would get from the Queen.

"And why would I do that?" Regina laughed. "I hate Snow White, and one way or another, I will succeed in killing her."

"Yes, you can do that later. But to succeed, we all need to work together," Emma said carefully.

"And what makes you think she'll trust me either? She has no form of protection against me," Regina stated.

"But I do," Emma said. She raised her hands, and moved all the furniture in the room.

"Pure magic?" Regina gasped. "How is that possible? Unless…"

"I'm a product of True Love. I cannot tell you who my parents are," Emma told her. "Now, are you in are out?"

"How do I know if I can trust you? What if you're working with Snow and her people in some sort of attempt to get me to surrender so you can defeat me?" Regina snarled.

Emma sighed, expecting this, "Watch this," Emma said. She closed her eyes and channeled her memories into a projections. When she opened it, a memory of Regina, Robin, Roland and Henry having dinner was playing against the wall.

Regina watched in awe, both of her magic, and of what she was witnessing.

"Is that real?" Regina asked her, sounding slightly unsure.

"Yes. I can't tell you how you get to that point, or what it is that you do, but Zelena is going to try and take that away from you," Emma warned her.

"Fine. I'm on board. But convincing Snow and James is your problem. I don't care if they help or not, but as long as they don't try to kill me, I won't try to kill them either," Regina said, walking out.

* * *

"Absolutely not," Charming said flatly. "I don't care who you are or where you're from, but you can't just come back here and expect for us to work with Regina. She is pure evil, and I refuse to have anything to do with the woman trying to kill Snow."

"David," Emma began.

"No. Snow trusts you for some unfathomable reason, but I have no inclination to do so," David said flatly. "Now tell me who you are in relationship to me, or at least give me one good reason to trust you."

"He's untrusting," Killian whispered in her ear. "You must get that from him."

The two of them had decided it was best to speak to David while Snow gathered up all her allies. So far, he hadn't been taking to the plan too well. They were in a cottage, one Emma assumed to belong to Ruby, seeing that Granny was in the kitchen cooking.

"Please, you need to trust me," Emma said.

"Not without proof. How do I know that you're not trying to lure us to Regina so she can just kill us all?" David said firmly.

"I have to tell him, Killian," Emma said softly. "He'll know if I just make up a lie. My mother might be the one who trusts people, but my father is the one who can tell when people are lying or not."

He nodded, "I understand."

"You cannot tell anyone what I tell you, not even Snow," Emma warned.

David nodded, "Fine. Now tell me the truth."

"I'm your daughter," Emma said. "I'm from the future, and what's happening is threatening all of us. Zelena sent us all back to the past to rewrite what happened, and while everyone else was here, one way or another, Killian was in Neverland, and while I was conceived in this land, I hadn't been born yet. My middle name is Ruth, after your mother."

David softened at the mention of her mother. "Okay. I trust you. I can see the resemblance; you look just like Snow."

"Thank you," Emma said softly.

"But is working with Regina really our only option?" David asked curiously.

"Unfortunately," Killian said softly. "We know how hard that must be for you, trust us. But you need to do this so all of us have a chance of a future."

"Zelena is going to kill all of you, which means I'll never be born, and neither will my son, or my brother," Emma said softly. She had decided to at least not tell him about the curse. Otherwise if they knew, they would kill Regina on the spot.

"Okay, Snow should be back in a few hours. How do we know Regina won't try to kill us?" David questioned.

"I'm the product of True Love, so I have magic that is stronger than hers. If she tries, I can stop her," Emma said strongly.

"Good," David beamed. She could tell that he was proud of her, and she blushed slightly. "Snow should be back in a few hours, so we can start working on a plan to defeat Zelena then."


	19. A Change of Fate, Pt V

**A Change of Fate, Pt V**

"You're the one who killed my father!" Snow snarled.

"Yes, but if you hadn't killed Daniel, then I wouldn't have had to have married your father, and they would both still be alive," Regina hissed.

Emma closed her eyes, and massaged her temples. She knew that the two of them hadn't gotten along in this time period, but she had hoped that they would somehow manage to put aside their differences. Apparently that would not be happening.

They were waiting in Regina's castle, figuring it was the best way to summon Zelena, as it wouldn't raise suspicions. Emma was sitting down on a chair with Killian resting his arm around her shoulders.

"Look, it's not just both of your lines on stake here," Emma shouted at them. "If you die, then your offspring die. Have you even thought about that? Or are you too caught up in things to care?"

David shifted uncomfortably, and looked miserable that he couldn't tell Snow what he knew. Emma wished she could just tell them all the truth, but that would raise a whole bunch of questions that she couldn't answer without causing even more conflict.

"What do you mean offspring?" Regina questioned.

Emma knew that while technically Regina had no biological children, she had Henry and Roland. Besides, at the rate she and Robin were going at it, it was only a matter of time before they had more additions to the family.

She loved Henry, and she wished she could be his only mother, but she had given him up so he could get the best chance of growing up, and that meant with Regina.

"Your children in the future. If you idiots kill each other now, then you're not taking into account what would happen to them. I'm taking a huge risk putting you in the room right now, but Zelena is the bigger threat, so I'm risking it. So kill each other in your own time, I don't have time to deal with it now," Emma said strictly.

Both had the gall to look ashamed. Good, they should be.

"So what do we have to do?" Ruby asked her carefully, cutting in.

Emma stood up, and with Killian's help, she told them the plan. The group listened intently to her, and she found a surge of power. No wonder people fought wars to be rulers of kingdoms.

* * *

"What did you want me here for, Regina?" Zelena asked, sounding bored.

The rest of them were hiding behind a curtain spell that Emma cast, watching the exchange.

"For this!" Regina said with a smile. She raised her hands, and before Zelena could reach, Regina cast a spell on her, preventing her from casting any magic.

"What is this Regina?" Zelena roared. "I thought we had a deal; I kill all your problems, and you take care of Snow White."

"You failed to mention _why_ you wanted to help me, Zelena. But after some helpful insight, I found out the truth," Regina smirked. "Why should I help someone who simply wants for me to be miserable in the future?"

"How did you know that?" Zelena sputtered.

"Did you think you were the only one who came through the time portal?" Emma said, as she brought down the curtain spell.

"You! What are you doing here?" Zelena asked them in confused anger.

"Did I not just tell her how I got here?" Emma asked Killian rhetorically. "Seriously, you need to work on your listening skills."

"It's not like it matters anyways," Zelena laughed. "Once I kill your parents, then you'll cease to exist, Regina won't end up happy, nor will Hook give up his revenge, and will probably succeed in killing RUmplestiltkin, therefore, Belle also ends up unhappy. Funny how fate works, isn't it?"

"What do you mean her parents?" Snow asked, confused.

"Didn't you tell your dear old mother?" Zelena asked Emma. "Emma Swan, product of true love here is yours and James' child."

Snow gasped, "Emma, is this true?"

Emma looked down, slightly embarrassed, "Yes," she said softly. "But you have to understand why I didn't tell you. I'm trying my best not to interfere with fate."

Killian hugged her shoulders, "It's okay, Lass, we'll figure it out."

Zelena pretended to puke, "I see you two managed to work out your differences. Glad I could be of assistance. Do you even want to know how I succeeded? It's because Regina refused to destroy the pendent, and kept it safely. Then when Rumple tried to kill me, the essence of my life went back to the pendent, and completed the spell, which had already been triggered before."

"Enough, I'm bored of this," Regina said sternly. Emma wanted to yell at her, but it wouldn't solve anything to do so for her future mistakes.

"Same here; seems as if we have something in common for once," Snow said with a smile. She raised her bow, which had been dipped with the same ink which trapped Rumplestilskin. Zelena, unable to defend herself due to lack of magic, took the full blunt of the arrow as it shot her in the chest, yet was not a fatal blow.

"And now, it's my turn," Emma smirked at her. She raised her hands, and took the pendant which Zelena had taken to wearing back around her neck. "This time, I'm going to make sure you cannot cause any more damage." She waved her hand forward, and grabbed the pendent in her hand, crushing it to dust. She then took the dust, and scattered it in the wind. Emma had learned her lesson about the power which could be contained in dust and ashes after Cora had tried to use those of the wardrobe.

"What are you going to do with her?" Killian questioned.

"Send her back to Oz," Emma said softly. "I've been working on my magic, and it's strong enough to open a portal to another realm. This way, she can get the punishment she deserves from the Good Witches there."

"You're that powerful?" Snow gasped. "James, how haven't you said anything about this? You've had no reaction to any of this, to her being your daughter, or to her having magic, or any of it."

"I-uh-well," David hesitated, unsure of what to say.

"You knew, didn't you?" Snow narrowed her eyes. "How could you not tell me? You know she was our daughter, yet you wouldn't tell me?"

"Mom, I told him not to," Emma said quickly, playing the mom card, hoping it would soften her. "I needed him to trust me, and telling him was the only way to do so. Please don't be angry at him."

The anger in Snow's eyes melted, "I guess I see your point," she said softly. David wrapped her up in his arms, and together, they smiled at her.

"We did well, didn't we?" David said with a smile, "She's beautiful."

"Yes, we did," Snow said, as she placed a kiss on his lips.

"Can you please just get rid of Zelena already? I can't tolerate all of these people in my home any longer," Regina said, disgusted.

She raised her hands, and closed her eyes, focusing her energy into creating a portal. When she opened them, a hole three feet wide in diameter was in front of her. She used her magic to raise Zelena through the air and send her through the portal.

Zelena tried to protest, but the ink spell on her prevented her from doing so.

"Right, so can we all get back to killing each other now?" Regina asked, a wicked smile on her face.

"Sorry, Regina, not today," Emma said with a smile. "I'll see you all in the future!"

Before they could question her, she waved her hands at them, creating a forgetful spell upon all of them. This way at least none of them would know what had transpired, thus preventing their knowledge of the future to change anything.

She waved her hands again and scattered the group. She sent her mother and father, plus their allies all the way back to their kingdom, and Regina to another part of her castle.

She partially wished she could have properly said goodbye to all of them, but assuming everything went back to normal, she would see them all again soon.

"You did it!" Killian said softly. He placed his arms around her waist, "I love you so much, Emma," he said full of emotion.

"I love you too," Emma said with a smile. She wrapped her arms around his neck and pulled him into a deep kiss.

He moaned slightly, "Not that I don't enjoy this, but we ought to continue this in our own time. The last thing we need is for Regina to come and kill us."

"What if I can't open a time portal though?" Emma asked, worriedly. "It's far more complicated. I need to open a portal to a land without magic, plus through time."

"If anyone can do it, then it's you," Killian said softly. "You're extremely powerful, Emma, yet you refuse to use it for selfish reasons." Killian took her hands into his, "I'm here with you, Love. We'll do this together."

She closed her eyes, and held Killian tightly. Her magic came from true love, and Killian was hers. The only way she would be able to do this was with him by her side.

She raised her hands once more, and channelled all of her magic towards opening a portal.

"You did it, Love," Killian said causing her eyes to open again.

She kept her fingers intertwined with his, "Here's hoping everything is okay on the other side."

"Let's go through it the same way we did everything else, together," Killian said softly.

* * *

**A/N: **And thus ends my five part would be oneshot! Hope all of you enjoyed reading it, and I'll see you again soon with my next one.


	20. A Change of Fate, Pt VI

**A Change of Fate, Pt VI**

"Emma?" David called out. Emma opened her eyes to see that she was back in the hospital. Mary Margret was sitting up in her bed, holding Leo in her arms, and Henry was sitting on the bed. The room was exactly how she had left it.

"Yes?" she asked, her head snapping up. She could see Killian in her side vision, standing in the door.

"I asked if you wanted to hold your brother," David asked, his voice laced with concern. Did they even know what just happened?

"What are we doing back here?" Killian asked in confusion.

"Where else would you be?" Henry questioned, sounding unsure. "Do you wish to go back to your ship?"

"It's not that, Lad. It's just-Emma, could you explain?" Killian asked.

"Something happened," Emma started. "I think Rumple went after Zelena, and attempted to kill her. It caused the spell she had been working on to get triggered, and it sent us all back in time."

"What happened?" Snow asked. "How did you defeat her?"

"I got my magic back. Turns out it was only turned off," Emma told them.

"How?" David raised his eyebrow.

"I-uhm-well, it might have been True Love's kiss?" Emma winced, unsure of how her family would take it.

"With who?" David demanded.

She laced her fingers through Killian's. She could see that he was worried about it too, given their experience with him.

"Killian," Emma said firmly. "He's my choice, he always has been. It never would have been Neal, even if he was still alive. We were over the minute he framed me and sent me to jail, and I refuse to let you delude yourself into thinking otherwise."

"He's the reason you went to prison?" Snow gasped. "How could you never mention that!"

"You never asked! You just assumed that it was a bad break up, and I never corrected you because I didn't want to have to talk about it," Emma exclaimed.

She at least had the nerve to look ashamed.

Killian squeezed her hand to show his support for her.

"If Killian makes you happy, then that's fine, Mom," Henry beamed. "He's different. I've never seen you so happy, even with Walsh. Besides, I think it's cool that your boyfriend is a pirate! I enjoy hanging out with him."

"As do I, Lad," Killian said with a smile.

"Well, if the pirate is your choice, then who are we to stop you? He keeps proving himself to us time and time again, even when we have wronged him. Someone who fights that strongly for you is a keeper, so I approve," David said with a smile.

"I'm sorry, Emma," Mary Margret said softly. "I assumed that just because you loved him at one point meant he was your True Love. I guess I had my ideals based on our world, but clearly it differs in this land. Killian, if you make my daughter happy, then I'm glad. Honestly, I've never seen her so happy with anyone, or your walls lowered either. Now continue on with your story?"

Killian smiled, and squeezed her hand, as Emma continued on with her tale.

"So why don't we remember any of this? I think I would remember meeting my daughter in the past, while working with my stepmother," Mary Margret exclaimed.

"I might have wiped your memories so it wouldn't change the future. Thankfully, it doesn't seem as if anything has changed," Emma said softly.

"I'm proud of you both," David said. "You managed to get Regina and Snow to work together in a time where they both hated each other, and defeated Zelena. Now, you have yet to answer my question from before."

"I would love to hold Leo," Emma said with a smile. She took her baby brother from her mother and held him carefully in her arms. He was so little, that it almost scared her that she would break him. She placed a kiss on his forehead, and she could see his face turn towards her body.

Killan came closer to where she was standing, and he had a bright smile on his face at the sight.

"Do you want to hold him?" she asked softly, not wanting to wake Leo.

"Are you sure it's alright?" Killian asked, worriedly, as he looked at his hook.

"You're family now, Killian, of course it's okay," Mary Margret said with a smile.

Killian took off his hook carefully. When he placed it to the side, Emma handed him her brother. Using his good hand, Killian stroked Leo's cheek, causing him to smile.

"He likes you," Emma remarked. Killian's eyes shone with wonder. She could tell that one day he would make a great father, even though he was already a surrogate one for Henry.

"Now seems like as good as a time as any," David said to his wife.

"Can I ask?" Snow requested her husband, when he nodded, she said, "Emma, Killian, would you like to be Leo's godparents?"

"Really?" Emma asked in surprise. "Wait, is it normal for a sibling to be a godparent?"

"Lass, nothing about us constitutes as _normal_," Killian said with a smile.

"True," Emma said with a shake of her head, "I would be pleased to be his godmother."

"And I, his godfather," Killian said softly, as he handed Leo back to his mother.

The family sat around Mary Margret all night, enjoying each other's company, as well as dinner from Granny's. Emma was happier than she had been in a long time. For the first time, she had everything, a family, and someone by her side who loved her. And that was enough.

**A/N: ** So the ending to the last part was slightly ambiguous, so I decided to write a mini after part. Hope you enjoyed!


	21. The Aftermath

**The Aftermath**

**Prompt:** In which Killian tells Regina to blame him as well and then comforts Emma after Regina yells at her for not thinking about the consequences of her actions.

"You?" Regina turned to face her. Her voice was shaking, and Emma could see the pain in her eyes as she watched Robin reunite with his thought to be dead wife. "You did this?"

Emma was stunned. She should have known better than to think that a random woman she saved would have no consequence, "I just wanted to save her life," Emma tried to explain to her, hoping she would understand. She didn't mean to ruin Regina's new relationship. After all, wasn't her mom ruining her first one the reason why the curse came to pass?

Regina shook her head in anger, "You're just like your mother! Never thinking of consequences."

"I didn't know," Emma tried to reason. She could see Killian standing up from the far table that he was sitting in. Her parents seemed to be watching both her and Regina, as well as Robin's family reunion.

"Of course you didn't," Regina all but spat at her. "Well you just better hope to hell that you didn't bring anything else back."

"Don't blame her, Regina," Hook said as he came to her defense. "There's no way Emma could have predicted it. You were set to execute both of them. You probably don't even remember because we had different faces, but you caught her at David's would be engagement party to Princess Kathryn, and threw her in prison. She escaped, but she couldn't just let someone die."

"What, so now this is my fault?" Regina asked, enraged. "You're the one who changed the past, and you're blaming me? Ms. Swan at least barely knew any better, but what about you, Pirate? You know al about magic. Why didn't you stop her? Or did the lady seduce you into being her lapdog?"

"Don't you dare talk about my daughter that way," David said standing up.

"Regina, you've changed for the better now," Snow tried. "You've matured, and become a better person. Don't let this revert you back to your old ways."

"Give me one reason why I shouldn't just kill you here and now?" Regina snarled as she faced Emma. "It would save me the years I spent going after your mother."

"Because I'm stronger than you. I got my magic back," Emma said, standing up straighter. "And I'm not alone. Do you really think you can beat me and everyone else here? Besides, you won't. You won't kill someone Henry loves."

Regina turned to face her son, who was looking at her in utter shock.

"Mom, they're right. You can't blame her for not knowing," Henry pleaded. "Please, you've come so far! You've changed. Don't go back to who you were before."

Robin finally seemed to notice that something was happening, "Regina-" he tried, but she raised her hand to stop him.

"Don't bother. I know when I'm not wanted," Regina said. She vanished with a poof of purple smoke, abandoning the diner.

"I didn't know," Emma said softly, as Killian wrapped his arms around her. "I should have listened to you, Killian, and left her there. I didn't think she could affect the future like this. I should have known better. For God's sake, _Back to the Future_ is an entire trilogy about what happens when you change the past."

He simply pulled her in tighter, "I could have insisted that you left her there, Emma. If we keep playing the could have game, we could go in circles for hours. You have a kind heart, and couldn't leave anyone to her fate."

"What fate?" Robin cut in. "Marian, what fate? All I know is that one day you left, and the next thing I heard was that you were dead."

"I should have been," Marian whispered. "I supported Snow White, and I aided her, but not revealing her location."

"I remember you," Snow said softly. "I never did get a chance to thank you."

"It was worth it. But when Regina found out, she wanted my head. She was about to execute me. I met Emma in the prison that night, and she got out. She should have left me; anyone else would have. But like her mother," Marian said, nodding towards Snow, "she had too kind a heart to do so. She saved me."

Robin looked so torn. Emma could guess why, he thought his wife was dead, and he attempted to move on, with the woman who tried to kill his wife in the first place. She definitely didn't pity him.

She moved closer to Killian, and he held her tighter as he seemed to read her mind, "Emma, stop feeling bad, Love. You are a wonderful loving person, who gives people far more chances than they probably deserve. It's one of the things I like about you. If you didn't save her, you would have acted like a person completely different to who you were. And who knows, if you left her to die, then maybe something different would have happened, and the future would be affected. What would happen if Regina found out she had killed Robin's wife? She would have been torn between telling him, and hiding it. It might have ruined the relationship all the same."

She let his words sink in, hearing the truth in them. She knew he was right, but she still felt so bad about everything.

"I know," she whispered softly. "Thank you, for everything."

He nodded in acknowledgement, without moving her away from her, but instead pulling her in tighter.

She could tell that her parents were watching their interaction closely, but she didn't feel like explaining anything to them yet. Emma and Killian had yet to define what their relationship was, but she refused to stop pushing him away anymore. He was hers, and it was time she let herself be his. He had gone after her time and time again; he had helped her get home, even though she double crossed him, he had helped save her son, he had bought her back from New York, and gone after her when she fell through a time portal with no assurance of his own safety, even though she hadn't given him a single sign she cared for him, apart from that kiss in Neverland.

He kept chasing after her, and fighting for her. She knew he wasn't going anywhere.

Her parents and Henry was where she belonged, but Killian was her home too. It seemed like what everyone had been trying to tell her finally made sense. She was running away because she was scared about letting people in again, and she disguised that under a pretense of good intentions, which she honestly believed in. But Emma was done with all of that. She wasn't going anywhere either.

Robin sat down; trying to take in all the information he had received. The next few days were going to be interesting. Emma would also have to make sure that nothing else had changed.

That was the last thing they needed.

* * *

**A/N: **That episode though. Like I had fully intended to write after watching it, but I was so filled with emotion after it, and I couldn't do a single thing. But today I felt so motivated when I saw this prompt, and even had a few other ideas come to mind. But I would never say no if someone wants to send me a prompt to write!


	22. Acceptance

**Acceptance**

Killian sat on the bench outside, taking in the night air. Emma had decided to have a talk with Henry, about everything that had happened. She owed him a proper explanation first for wanting to leave, and second for changing her mind. She had told him and her parents all that had happened, but since Henry got his memories back, Emma hadn't had the chance to properly bond with her son. Killian wanted to spend every hour with her, especially since she decided to open up to him, but Emma Swan was not his solely, and he respected and loved her for that.

He could still feel her tender lips upon his. Killian had worried about what would happen when he told her the truth about his ship. What he wasn't expecting was for her to kiss him, not that he minded. He was afraid that she would run again, but he could tell she had changed after her time in the past. She probably would still be afraid to fully commit, but he would gladly wait for her.

"Mind if I join you?" David asked, as he walked over to the bench Killian was on.

"Not at all, your Highness," Killian said, as he gestured to the space beside him.

"I wanted to thank you," David said, as he looked at him. "Emma told me how she fell through the portal, and you went in after her. You didn't have to do that. You could have let it close, and let her go alone. You would have been safe, and no one would have known any better. But you fought for her, like you always do."

"I barely even thought about it," he admitted. Which was true. There never was a choice for him to let her go through it alone. He couldn't have done that to her.

"Which is why I owe you so much," David said. "I remember what you said, you know. I remember how I talked to you in the Enchanted Forest, and you said you loved Emma, but you also said her parents don't approve. I didn't know it was you who I talked to until Emma explained how Rumple changed your faces, but I remember it all now."

"I shouldn't have done so," Killian cut in. "It was wrong of me to talk to you like that."

"But you were right," David stopped him. "We've been judging you so harshly, with no absolute reason, other than you being a pirate. But how is that any worse than Neal? He was a thief, and he was no better for Emma."

He didn't say anything. He wasn't really sure what he should say.

"It's hard, you know?" David said. "Sending away your daughter one minute, then the next time you see her and it feels like less than a moment, but she's fully grown up. She probably grew up years ago. We blindly sent her away, afraid for her safety, but also so she could save all of us. How could you place that big of a burden on one child? It wasn't fair of us. We missed so much by trying to be noble. We missed her first words, her first steps, her first boyfriend, and everything else. Sometimes I think I try and force being her father over her, when it's so clear that she doesn't need us. When I see her, I see that child I sent away, and I just want to protect her."

"Which is understandable, Mate," Killian said as he listened to him.

"But it's wrong," David said. "Because she's an adult, and she doesn't need us to make decisions for her. Snow and I thought it was the right thing to do to try and get her back with Neal, but it would have been so wrong for her. It would have made her miserable, because she would have been with him for all the wrong reasons. But she wasn't the only person I was wrong about. I was wrong about you. You said you assumed that we sent you that letter, and we called you out on it, and twisted your words to say that you told us we sent you. It was wrong of us, and in that moment, everything was so heated, and I let myself get carried in that heat and fire and I attacked you."

"David-" Killian tried to say.

"No, let me finish," David stopped him. "You were right in the Enchanted Forest. But I want you to know that I don't think that about you. You are good enough for Emma. Hell, you're probably the best thing for her. You get her in a way that no one else does. But I'm not going to start pushing her towards you either. I just want you to know that if she chooses you, then I'm not going to be against it."

"Thank you," Killian said, feeling overwhelmed.

"But regardless, I want you to know that I'm also your friend," David said. "You might have saved me in Neverland for Emma's sake, but you saved me nonetheless."

"I did it for you too, Mate," Killian said with a smile. "You may be her father, but I do consider you a friend as well."

David clapped him on the back, "Let's go back in. Henry was asking for you earlier, and I'm sure he still wants to see you."

Killian stood, and followed him back into the diner, knowing that regardless of how he and Emma progressed, he won't have to worry about David's approval.


	23. Running Away, Pt I

**Running Away**

_Prompt:_ Can you please write something to do with Regina dealing with robin and Marian and her being heart broken..and maybe Henry possibly getting upset at Robin for hurting her?

She should have known. She should have known that she wouldn't get a chance at True Love. She was the Evil Queen after all, a villain. And villains don't get happily ever afters. That's just how it is. It was the heroes who got all of that.

It wasn't as if she had known that she was the reason his wife was supposedly dead. She had killed so many people, that she could barely keep track anymore. His wife would have been one among any. Regina wished she had never caught Marian. Then she wouldn't feel like this; either that, or that she succeeded in killing her the first time.

The worst part was that Regina really liked him. She really, _really_, liked Robin. She put herself out there, against her better judgement, and she had gotten hurt. Well Regina certainly wouldn't make that mistake ever again.

She was on the pier, not really sure where else she should go. She didn't want to go home; she would feel so alone in that big house. But she couldn't be anywhere with people; not after she just got humiliated. So instead, she sat on the wooden deck, her feet dangling over the edge, as she stared out into the open waters.

Maybe she should leave Storybrooke, get a fresh start somewhere in the world where no one knew her or her past. She had wanted power for so long, but what had it gotten her? Absolutely nothing. Maybe it was time to give it all up. At the very least, the spell on the boundary would hit her and she would be given an alternative personality. That way she wouldn't even have to remember all that had transpired.

The only thing stopping her was Henry. She loved him so much, and how could she leave him behind? But maybe he was better off. He had a family here, he had his _true_ mother, a pirate stepfather in the making, grandparents, and an uncle. He would be fine without her.

It was funny. For all the time she knew Emma Swan, she wondered how the Saviour could spend so much time running away from everything. But for the first time, she understood. She understood how someone could just leave. Because running away would definitely be easier than staying and having to watch him every day with _her._

She stood up, ready to walk back to her house. She would leave, without anyone else knowing. That way no one could stop her. But as she turned, she saw Robin standing behind her on the dock. She tried to speed up, and walk past him, but he grabbed her arm.

"Regina, wait," she heard him say, as he turned her around to face him. Was he angry at what she had done? Would he try and hurt her for it? This was exactly why she didn't want to see anyone before she left. "Where are you going?" he whispered.

"Away from you," she spat out.

"I didn't mean that," Robin said, as he looked into her eyes. She shivered, because when he did so, it was like he was peering into her soul. "I meant, where are you going? Why are you leaving?"

"Away," she said, as shifted her jaw firmly. "I'm leaving Storybrooke."

"You would do that? Leave everyone behind? Even your son?" Robin asked, a flame flickering in his eyes.

"What's it to you?" Regina asked, as she tried to pull out of her his grasp. Damn him for holding on so tight. "Why aren't you with your _wife_?"

"Dammit Regina, why can't you see it from my point of view? I don't know what the hell I'm supposed to think! I loved Marian so much, and I finally found a way to move on, and open my heart up again. How do you think I would react to finding out that you were the reason she would have died?" Robin shouted.

"Don't you think I know that?" Regina screamed. "It's not like I knew what would happen by capturing her! If I could take it back, I would have! Because it would have saved me the pain of ever knowing you."

"So you regret us?" Robin said in a low voice.

"Don't you?" Regina shot back. "Why would you even ask me that? I cared for you! But you're free to go, no strings attached. I won't even tell your wife that you moved on with me."

Robin dropped her arm, and stared at her in shock. But Regina wasn't going to stay there. She couldn't see him anymore. So she turned on her heels, and walked away, never looking back.

* * *

"What did you do?" Henry seethed as he walked into the diner, and approached Robin's table. He was sitting there with his wife and son, trying to seem happy, He found it hard to sleep the night before, as he kept replaying what happened in his mind.

"Henry!" Snow scolded him. "It's not polite to talk to people like that."

"My mom left town because of him!" Henry exclaimed, as he shoved the letter in front of Robin.

"Regina's gone?" Emma said, surprised as she walked up to him. "That's not possible! The memory boundary on the town line would have wiped her memory."

Robin took the note from the boy and read it. He could feel his wife's eyes on his, wondering what was going on.

_Dearest Henry,_

_Please do not think that I don't love you. I do; I love you so much, Henry. But I cannot stay in this town anymore. The fairytale life has hurt me time and time again, and I need a fresh start. So I'm givng Emma Swan full custody of you from here on out. She's your true mother, and she can give you so much more than I ever can. Please do not hate me for this. _

_Always have, and always will love you,_

_Regina_

"Can she pass custody like that?" he heard Emma murmur to her mother. Snow simply shrugged.

"It was because of you, wasn't it?" Henry pressed. "I saw the two of you on that dock, so I know you talked to her. What did you say to her? Why is she gone?"

"Why were you with her?" Marian pressed, as she frowned.

"You were dead," Robin said, his voice shaking. "Gods, Marian, I thought you were dead. I moved on, and it was with her."

He loved Marian, he loved her so much. But he also began to feel something for Regina. He wanted to scream at the fates for being so cruel to him. He felt so obliged to his wife. They were married after all; so how could he simply forget about that?

"I see," she said, with a slight tremble. She had been gone for so long; she didn't see how Regina had changed, and become a wonderful woman. All Marian knew was the Evil Queen who tried to kill her.

Emma took Henry in her arms, "I'm so sorry, Henry," she whispered. "There was a time when I wanted you for myself, and thought that she didn't deserve you. But I never wanted this. I love you so much, and if you want, we can go after her and bring her back."

"What's the point?" Henry said bitterly. "She won't remember us. She won't remember me. Mom, it must have been so hard for her when I had no memory of her, and I can feel exactly what she must be feeling now."

"Let me try a locator spell," Emma argued. "I can find her. And I'm sure Rumple can brew a memory restoring potion."

"And how would you convince her to take it?" Snow questioned. "I can't imagine that you were very willing to trying Hook to take the potion."

"It took a few days," Emma admitted, as she looked over to where Hook was sitting.

"What made you take it?" Robin asked, earning a glare from his wife.

"I don't know," Emma said softly. "There was something about him that made me want to trust him. I guess no matter what the spell had done, there was a part of me that couldn't forget him."

"So it should be someone who cares about her," Snow said softly. "Henry if you want to go, then one of us will have to go with you."

"I want to go," Robin said, interrupting. "Give me a little extra potion, so I can remember her. I'll take Henry with me."

"Robin!" Marian gasped. "Isn't it better this way? She's out of our lives and we can be a family again."

"She belongs here, with her son," Robin finally told his wife. He wanted to add that she belonged here with him, but he knew better than when to say things which would get him into even more trouble.

She slumped into her booth, "Fine. Someone has to watch our son, after all."

He felt guilty, but he stood up to leave. Emma seemed conflicted, "I'm going as well. No offense to you, Robin, but just in case you don't take the potion, he needs someone who remembers."

Hook walked over and squeezed her hand, and gave her a peck on the lips. "Good luck, Love," he said softly. He envied them so much for having it be so simple.

The three of them left the diner, and he could feel the eyes of all the occupants on them, judging him and forming their opinions. Let them. He had wronged Regina, and he had to go make it right.


	24. Running Away, Pt II

**Running Away, Pt II**

"Robin, wait," Marian cried out, as she ran after him. He turned dreading what she would say, hoping it wouldn't be an attempt to convince him not to go.

"Marian, I have to go, Regina could get quite far if she has the chance," Robin said tiredly.

Emma had taken Henry away to give them some privacy, and he appreciated her for it.

"Just give me a moment," Marian pleaded, "Please."

He looked at her, taking in her full form. Her face had haunted his dreams for so long. She was dying, after being shot by an arrow in an attempt to escape an ambush by some bandits in the forest. He had seen her die. The memory had haunted him for so long. He remembered laying her down in a bed of flowers, and sending her off in a boat. So how did she survive?

"Yes?" Robin asked her softly, taking her hand in his.

"It's not the same between us, is it?" Marian said softly. "I should have died in that forest, one way or another. But by some twist of fates, I survived. I'll always love you, Robin, but I don't want you to be with me for all the wrong reasons."

"It wouldn't be the wrong reasons!" Robin argued. "I love you. We're married, and have a son. I'm not leaving you simply because you happened to survive."

"Those are the wrong reasons, though Robin," Marian whispered. "Our lives changed when Emma and Killian were sent to the past. Perhaps for the better, or perhaps for the worse. But I know you and Regina have something. I might not be able to understand it, because I can only see her as the Evil Queen. But it's clear me that she's different. She's not that person is she? Over the past day I've talked to so many people, trying to get an understanding of what happened, and they all agree that she's changed. Robin, we're not the same people we were back then, and as much as I wish we could just forget everything that's happened, I can't. You deserve to be happy, and I won't just come back and change it all."

"Marian," Robin said, unsure of what else he could say.

"Go find her, and bring her back," Marian said, as she placed a kiss on his cheek. "We can figure out what exactly happens between the two of us when you get back."

"Thank you," he said genuinely. And they would have to talk about it, a lot. They would have to figure out what the next step for them was, regardless of what happened with Regina, because they had both changed in the time they had spent apart.

He placed a kiss on her cheek, but went to join Emma and her son in the yellow contraption which would take him to Regina.

* * *

Emma had used the locator spell and found that Regina had gone to a town named Portland. He was grateful for Emma and her knowledge of this land, and her abilities to get him there.

"I'm sorry," the blonde said softly. "I feel like this is all of my fault. I knew better than to mess with the past, but I assumed she wasn't someone relevant in the sense that saving her from death wouldn't change anything."

"It's not your fault, Emma," Robin told her softly. "You couldn't have known what bringing her back would have meant. And on top of that, regardless of what happens between Regina, Marian, and I, at least Roland will have the chance to know his mother."

She said nothing to that, but he could tell that she was beating herself up over it.

"I mean it, Emma," Robin said. "You have a kind heart, and couldn't let an innocent woman die. I care for Regina, don't get me wrong, but the Evil Queen would have killed her if you had not intervened. You saved Marian, and yes it hurt Regina, but it wasn't as if you knew. Didn't your pirate tell you not to feel bad?" Robin teased at the last part.

She blushed slightly, "He might have."

The rest of the car ride consisted of Robin telling him about his times in the Enchanted Forest, while Emma told him the tale of her time travel adventuers.

* * *

Regina had been looking at apartments when Emma, Robin, and Henry found her. She must have been trying to start a new life with what memories she had, like Emma and Henry did. She was sitting in a small café, drinking coffee. The three of them approached her, and stood by the table Regina was sitting at.

Regina looked up and saw them, but she had looked through the three of them, and Emma could tell that it killed Robin and Henry to see that.

They had just enough memory potion for one dose, but it would be no good if they could convince her to take it

"Excuse me, Miss?" Emma said, as she attempted to make conversation. She sat down at Regina's table, and Robin and Henry followed suit.

"Linda Jamison," Regina said, as she faced Emma. Linda? Robin wanted to frown at her response. He wondered how a curse that Regina created would affect her, but he supposed that because of Zelena triggering it, she didn't add a failsafe for herself to remember. "Sorry, do I know you?"

"I'm not sure if you remember me," Emma said softly. "But we went to school together years ago."

"Really?" Regina said, "Which school was that?"

"Washington High?" Emma tried, using a name which must have meant something to her.

"You must have me mistaken with someone else," Regina said, apologetically, as she tried to get back into her paper.

Robin decided to cut in at that point, needing to talk to her, "Really? I swear you look exactly like her. Perhaps you're related? Do you know a Regina Mills?"

There was a quick flicker of recognition in her eyes, but it went away quickly. "Sorry, no I don't."

"Are you sure?" Henry jumped up. "Think really hard about it. You might remember."

Robin wanted to yell at her and beg her to remember. It killed him to see that she barely even knew who he was, and he hated it so much. It wasn't fair, not to her or him.

"Oh my god, is that Brad Pitt?" Emma whispered dramatically as she pointed to the door. Henry quickly grabbed Regina's coffee, as she turned to face the door, and Robin poured the potion inside, and pushed the cup back in front of her. Once Emma saw that they had finished their part, she sighed, "Whoops, I must have been mistaken, silly me," Emma giggled.

They could have done what Hook had, and waited for Regina to trust them, but when Emma had left Storybrooke, but from what he had heard, Emma left wanting to remember and caring for him, making it easier to do so. Regina left in fury, wanting to forget. There was no assurance that she would ever feel that level of trust for them.

Regina turned to them and scowled. She lifted up her coffee, and was about to sip, "I don't know you three, nor do I know what game you are playing. Now if you don't mind, I have a lot to do, and I would prefer if you left me to it." She took a sip of her drink before placing it back down.

"Sorry to bother you," Robin stalled, waiting for her to remember.

Her eyes fogged over, but when they sharpened again, she was glaring daggers at Emma and Robin. "What are you doing here? I told you I was leaving, and that I was done in Storybrooke."

"Regina, running away doesn't solve your problems," Emma said softly. "Trust me, I've been doing it my entire life."

"It's my life," Regina snapped. "How dare you try and control it, after what you've done."

"Mom, she was just trying to save someone," Henry tried. "Please come home, I need you. I wanted to come after you, and Emma said she would come with me."

"So why would you bring him?" Regina asked, her voice shaking. "He's the last person I want to see."

"You can talk to me, you know, Regina," Robin said softly. "I'm right here." He hated that she refused to even so much as look at him.

"I don't want to. I have nothing left to say to you that I haven't already," Regina snarled. "Now please leave. If I must have my memories, then so be it, but let me do what I want."

"You might have said all you want to, but I'm not done," Robin said softly. "Come home, Regina, we'll figure this out together. I have no idea what is going to happen between Marian and I, but I want you there with me, figuring it out with me. Please, Regina. And if not for me, come home for everyone else who loves you."

Regina studied them all under scrutiny, and Robin felt as if her eyes were going to burn through him.

"Fine," she sighed. "It's clear that you won't leave me alone to try and live my life. And if I were to run again, I'm sure Ms. Swan will simply use another tracking spell, right?"

Emma nodded, "Running away won't do you any good, Regina. I'm truly sorry that I hurt you. I had no idea that bringing back Marian would do this, I just hope you can forgive me."

"I know," Regina said as pushed her cup away from her. "It wasn't fair of me to attack you like that."

Emma stood, and took Henry back to the yellow mechanical carriage, to give Robin some time to talk to her.

"I'm sorry for yelling at you at the docks too," Robin said sincerely. "I know you aren't the Evil Queen anymore, and it was out of line for me to do so. I love Marian, Regina, but I also care for you a lot. And I know I have to pick between the two of you, and I can't even give you anything. But don't come back for me, come back for the son you fought to protect, for the Charmings who think of you as family, for the people of Storybrooke who respect you."

"Okay," Regina said softly, as she followed him out of the store. "We can figure it out together."

* * *

**A/N:** Due to popular request, I wrote a second part. I won't be writing any more in this series, but over the summer I might write a few other oneshots about how Regina, Robin, and Marian cope with what has happened, so make sure to follow to read those oneshots!


	25. Jealousy

**Jealousy**

Prompt: I was wondering if you would be willing to right a 'what was Hook thinking when Emma flirted with, then kissed, his past self

Killian was shocked to see Emma in his cabin. What was she doing here? She wasn't supposed to be back yet! He had just finished his meeting with Snow White, and was about to go back to the tavern to signal to her that he was done so she could leave Hook.

"I thought I told you to keep him occupied," Killian said, as he took in her hair which seemed to be far more rustled than when he saw her last. She seemed just as shocked to see him still there.

"I am," Emma explained, as she looked back to see if Hook was coming. Her cheeks were flushed ever so slightly.

"By taking him back to my ship?" Killian asked incredulously. He felt a bit of anger flow through him, as he took in the situation. What was she willing to do with Hook if Killian hadn't been there? Would she still do so?

"His ship," Emma said defensively.

"You know what I mean," Killian said, looking hurt. It hurt because it was Hook's ship. It hurt because he had given up his ship without a second thought to get back to her.

"I stalled as long as I could. I thought you would be gone by now," Emma apologised. "I'll try to keep him above deck so you can get out of here." He was about to go up the stairs when he heard the door open, so he quickly ducked behind the table in his room.

"Where might you be going?" he heard his past self ask her. "I do hope you're not having second thoughts." He was smirking at her, like a lion ready to pounce on her. Killian knew Hook, because at that time he would have no reservations at bedding a bar maiden simply because he could. But there was no way in hell that Hook would get Emma.

"No," Emma said with a smile, as she grabbed his coat in her fingers. "I just got tired of waiting." She pulled him in, just as she kissed Killian in Neverland.

It hurt to see her kissing him, well past him, like that, no reservations, no doubt, nothing. Yet here was he, a person who fought long and hard for her, hiding in the shadows as he was forced to endure it. Honestly, it probably would be a lot less painful to see her kissing another guy like that, but the fact that it was a version of him killed Killian. She had opened her eyes a few times to glace at Killian to see if he was leaving.

"My apologies, a woman as beautiful as you deserves my full and prompt attention," Hook said with a smile. Obviously he was ecstatic, he just got to kiss her.

Killian circled around the room, ready to leave, but he couldn't just yet. So he pulled Hook away from her, so that he would turn towards Killian, pulled back his fist, and punched him right In the face. He knew that he would be feeling sore in the morning, but he would probably just blame it on the alcohol; it was what he always did.

"Are you kidding me?" Emma exclaimed. "How is that not going to have consequences?" She asked as she stared at him in shock.

"He was asking for it," Killian defended, as he gestured to his unconscious past self. "And like I said, he'll blame the rum. Now let's get out of here."

Killian shot his past self one last look, and felt content. If he couldn't have Emma now, then there was no bloody way past him would get her either.


	26. Together

**Together**

_Prompt_: Can't you do one too after the finale? That Killian wonders what Emma did before she and Hook came to the ship. Playing with his hook and all, and Hook carrying her bridal style to the ship? He gets even more jealous when he hears Hook got to do that with his 'princess'

"So I must ask, Swan," Killian said, as he took a fry from her plate. "How did you manage to keep Hook occupied for so long, before you came back to the ship."

They had been taking it slow so far, and Emma was okay with that. She enjoyed kissing him casually, or holding his hand as they walked down the street. She wasn't trying to avoid ever having something with him, but it was fair to say that neither of their last relationships ended well, and perhaps taking it slow was a good thing.

"I flirted with him obviously," Emma said with a roll of her eyes. "I toyed with his hook, and asked him how he got it. He told me I was beautiful, and I ran my hands up and down his chest. Then I whispered flirty things into his ear and kissed him a slight bit on the deck. Then he wanted to leave, and I ran my hand up and down his thigh in an effort to get him to stay longer. Then when he finally gave up, we made our way the ship, I was walking as slow as possible but that annoyed him, so he picked me up and carried me onto his ship."

"He carried you onto the ship?" Killian asked, and she could hear hurt dripping into his voice. She knew the entire thing bothered him, and she tried to play it off as nonchalantly as she could, but clearly that wasn't working out too well for them. She could see why he was upset. His ship was his home for so long, and Hook carrying her onto it seemed slightly like a married couple thing to do, and now Killian wouldn't be the first one to do so.

"Killian, I want you to know that it didn't mean a single thing to me," Emma said softly. She reached across the table, and using one hand, she grabbed his good one, and took his hook into the other and held them both tightly. "I didn't enjoy it. I hated having to do all of it. He might have been your past self, but he wasn't you. He wasn't the man I have come to know, the one who would drop everything for me, and save me selflessly, even though you had no idea what would happen, or if I would even do anything for you in return. Killian," she said softly, as she caught his eye, "I only was able to put up with it because he had your face. I kissed him, and flirted with him, because it was what we needed to do to survive, but also, because I wanted it to be you."

"What do you mean?" he asked, her slightly shocked at her response to him.

"I'm not good at this whole relationship thing," she said, softly. "The closest thing I've ever done to a non-dysfunctional relationship was with Neal, and that ended up with me in jail. I don't know how to do it, but I want to, with you. My family, they're my home, but you're a big part of that. I care a lot about you, and even though I did all those things with Hook, they meant nothing to me, because he wasn't you."

"I'm not good at this relationship thing, Killian," Emma said with a deep breath. "But I want to try it with you. I want to go on cheesy cliché dates, or simply sit and kiss all night. I want to turn to you whenever things are looking bad, or when they're better than ever. I want to hold hands as we go for walks, and get those looks of wistfulness that people give my parents. I want **you** Killian, and I want to step out of the comfort zone I'm used to, just to be with you."

He reached across the table and kissed her soundly. "Emma, I love you. I don't want to pressure you into doing anything that you do not wish to do however. We can go slowly, and I don't even care if we don't put a name on it, as this land seems to think we must. I will simply enjoy the pleasure of your company. I'm sorry, Lass for getting jealous. I care for you, and while I hated that you flirted with my past self, I will never fault you to it, seeing that the fate of our futures depended on it. You may have to teach me some of the customs of this realm in terms of courtship, but I promise to listen carefully and note whatever you say."

She smiled at him, "We'll figure it out, together." A flush of warmth flew through her as she said that. She liked being able to say those words, and from the way his eyes lit up, she could tell he did too.

"Aye, Lass," Killian said, as he squeezed her hand with his good one. "Together."


	27. Surprises

**Surprises**

_Prompt:_ I was wondering if you could write about Emma getting Hooks ship back for him and surprises him with it please :)

She had been practicing her magic heavily for the past few months. She had to so she would be powerful enough to do what she planned for their anniversary.

Emma's relationship with Killian had a slow start. She had been terrified to jump straight into anything, but he had understood, standing by her in complete support, and backing away when she needed a moment. He had become her pillar of support, and she leaned on him more than she had ever done with anyone else. She had grown with him, stepping out of the boundaries she had placed on herself when it came to being with someone else, and he broke down the tower of walls she surrounded herself with.

Her family had different reactions to their relationship. David was slightly surprised, but he remembered a conversation with a certain Prince Charles, so despite his need to be protective of her, he backed down and offered their full support. Her mother had been surprisingly more open to the idea of Emma and Killian than she had been in Neverland. She told Emma that at the end of the day, all she had ever wanted was for her daughter to have happiness. Henry had told her that he was glad that she finally found her home, and that he was really excited that Killian was a pirate, because it was so _cool_.

She had been working with Rumplestiltskin, who only agreed since Emma had Belle on her side. He had been teaching her how to harness the power of love to exceed the limits of that dark magic placed on its users.

Emma closed her eyes, and channeled everything she had into the spell. She thought of her pure love for Killian, the way he made her feel when he kissed her, when he touched her face, the way he said her name with utter devotion, or how he always made her feel safe. She thought about how she felt for him. How she felt as if they were one, or how she loved his humour, and his ability to read her better than she could herself. She loved his smile, and his aged blue eyes which made her feel as if she were stuck in a vortex of time with no way out whenever she looked in them.

She opened her eyes, and pushed her hands forward, to draw through the object she intended, and was pleased to see it in front of her.

~ ES & KJ ~

They had finished having dinner together, a private event which Killian had set up in Granny's backyard, the same place where she finally let herself fall for him all those months ago when they came back from their time travelling journey. He had only told her that he had a surprise for her, something she had no knowledge of, until she got to there, hand in hand with him, and he showed her the table for two, with candles lighting the grounds. He handed her a bouquet of flowers, and poured champagne into two glasses, as they ate the pre-set appetizers of a salad and bread. Then he told her to stay in her seat as he brought out her favourite dishes for dinner, something she had only mentioned in passing once.

He told her how he had been spending extra hours at Granny's while Emma was at the station to learn specifically how to make all this food for her. She had been stunned, not sure what to say, other than to place a kiss on his lips.

Before dessert, he had reached into his coat pocket, and pulled out a small black box, and bent down on one knee.

"Emma, Lass, I love you more than words mere words could ever be poetic enough to express. I love you to the ends of the all the realms out there, and would go to any of them to fight for you. You are my stars at night which help me navigate home, and my light to bring me out of any darkness which I could ever feel. You my burst of spring, showing life and beauty after a long cold winter," Killian said, as he took her left hand into his. "This past year has been amazing, and it has showed me what I want for the rest of my life. There are a lot of things that I could picture giving up, because I don't need them, but you are the one thing I could never live without. I asked your family for their blessing, and they each gave it to me readily, but I have yet to ask the one person who could make my dreams come true. I love you so much, Emma Swan. Would you do me the honour of being my wife?" he breathed out the question.

She had barely noticed the tears of happiness streaming down her face as she nodded, "Yes! Yes, yes, yes, yes, and yes again. Oh Gods, Killian," Emma said softly, as he slipped the ring onto her finger.

"Sure you don't need time to think about it?" Killian teased her, as he stood up and enveloped her into his arms. He was referencing Walsh, and how Killian had nearly hijacked his proposal. She was so glad for him doing so.

"Never," she said as she held onto him. "I already know how much I love you; there's nothing to think about."

She pulled away and looked at the beautiful ring. It had a tiny diamond in the centre, and the silver band delicately wrapped around it in twirls. It was not something big and gaudy which might be expected for a royal, but was perfect for her.

"Happy Anniversary, Love," he said, as he gently pulled her into a deep kiss.

"I have something for you too," Emma said softly, "But it's not here. Do you mind if we save dessert for later, so I can take you to it?"

He raised an eyebrow, but gestured for her to lead the way.

"Not yet," she said softly. She pulled out a scarf from her bag, and wrapped it around his face to cover his eyes.

"Really, Love?" he asked exasperated.

"I want it to be a surprise," she stated, as she leaned in a pressed a kiss on his lips. He tried to deepen it, but she pulled away, causing her fiancé to growl in protest.

Emma held onto him to guide him to where she wanted to go. Thankfully it wouldn't be a far walk.

They were nearly there when she heard Killian ask her something in confusion, "Why are we at the docks?"

"How did you know?" she asked in surprise. Even with a blindfold on, he managed to give her a pointed look. "Right, pirate. How could I forget?" She led in a little further before stopping. Emma turned to face him, and she reached behind Killian to pull the blindfold off of his face.

Killian opened his eyes slowly, and she could tell he was about to saw something before he saw it; the Jolly Roger standing in front of him in all of its glory.

"How?" he breathed, as he marvelled at the sight in front of him.

"I've been working on my magic, and I managed to reach into the Enchanted Forest to bring just your ship back," Emma said. "I love you so much, Killian Jones, and in the time that you've known me, you've given up so much to be a good man for me. But you are a pirate; I don't mean that in a bad way, because it's one of the many traits that define you, and I love who you are. The Jolly Roger was your home for so long, and you gave it up just to save me, so I wanted to give her back to you."

He didn't say anything, but instead pulled her into a deep kiss. She held on tightly as she kissed him back, loving the man in front of her.

"Emma, I-thank you," he said as he pulled away. "You are my home now, not my ship, but I love you so much for doing this for me."

She pulled him in coyly, "Perhaps you could give me a private tour?" she asked innocently as she batted her eyes at him.

He smirked at her, before picking her up in his arms and earning a yelp of surprise. She placed kisses on his neck as he carried her aboard his ship and decided to show her just how much he loved her.


	28. Three's A Crowd

**Three's A Crowd**

**A/N: ** I decided to combine two of the prompts I got because I thought they would go so well together, so I decided to make an AU out of it.

_Prompt:_ I was wondering if you could do a story based on the theme of the song "hold my beer" by Aaron Perchet. ship is Captain Swan but other than that have at it.

_Prompt: _I love these and was wondering could you pretty please write one about an Emma/Neal/Hook love triangle, and maybe toss Milah in to spice it up? Please? You can choose whether the outcome is Captain Swan or Swanfire.

Emma Swan walked into the club wearing a red dress, and a pair of high heels. She was here with her boyfriend, Neal. It had been a long week, of work, of fights, of stress, and honestly, all she wanted was to take several shots to forget it all.

She and Neal had been seeing each other since collage; he had been in a few of her classes but it wasn't until they were partnered together for a Criminology project that he asked her to go on a date with him. It was nowhere fancy, just for a coffee and a walk on campus, but she was smitten with him.

They had begun seeing each other regularly after that. She loved him, she really did, but sometime it felt as if they were on two separate tracks, instead of on the same train. But she loved him so much, and she'd been with him for over five years. They were just going through a phase, and they would get over it, really soon.

She held onto his hand as they made their way over to the table that they had always sat at every Friday when they went on their weekly date. There wasn't as much romance in their relationship anymore, but did there need to be anymore? They had already each other, so she supposed they didn't really need it anymore.

He wasn't really paying much attention to her, but she didn't mind. It gave her time to ponder things in her life, such as how her close friends Mary Margret and David were married and soon to be expecting. She was so happy for them, but sometimes she wished her life would move slightly forward like theirs would.

She played with the straw in her drink, as she entertained herself with her thoughts.

* * *

Killian sat at the bar as he took a swing of his beer. He could see a gorgeous blonde woman with a long legs sitting at a table and sipping her martini. She was there with a man, possibly her boyfriend, who didn't seem to be paying much attention to her. He, in turn, was eying brunette sitting nearby where Killian was. She had large breasts, so he knew why the man was checking her out; but it was still very bad form to do so when your date was sitting in an area so close to where they were.

He watched as the man excused himself from the table, as he took her empty glass and walked over to the bar where Killian was.

"I'll take two rum and cokes," the man said to the bar tender, as he gestured him over to where he was. While he waited, he turned to the brunette girl. "Hi there," he said, in an attempt to sound smooth. "I'm Neal."

She smiled at him, "Tamara," she said flirtatiously as she took her hand in his quaintly. "Are you here with anyone Neal?"

"Nope," he said with a smile. "How about you give me your number?"

Killian turned away; he wouldn't listen to this anymore. He picked up his beer, and walked over to the table where the blonde woman was, and sat beside her.

"I'm here with someone," she said without even looking at him.

"Relax, Lass," Killian said to her. "I'm not here to hit on you."

She looked up at that, and looked at him as if she was analysing him very carefully. "So why are here?"

"I wanted to warn you about the man you were here with," he said. "I don't want to cause any trouble, but I thought you deserved to know. I heard him get the number of a girl at the bar and implied that he was single."

Her face twisted in shock slightly, but she quickly covered it up again, "Why are you even telling me this?"

"Because I've been in that place before, and I don't want you to find out as you walk in on the two of the together in your bed," Killian told her sincerely.

She sighed, "I don't suppose I should be surprised. We've been pulling away from each other for years. I thought we were just getting comfortable, but we're moving further away from each other by the day. I wonder how long he's been cheating on me."

"My girlfriend cheated on me for over a year, but I never knew," Killian told her, "So don't feel bad about it, Ms…?"

"Emma Swan," she said with a smile, as she reached out and shook his hand.

"Killian Jones, it's a pleasure to meet you, Love," Killian said with a smile.

"Emma, what's this?" her boyfriend asked as he walked back to the table and glared at Killian.

"A hint, which you should take," Emma said. "We're over Neal; I know you've been cheating on me. But besides that, we've been falling apart for years, and it's time I put an end to it and moved forward with my life. Now Killian, would you like to dance?"

Killian grinned as he stood up and handed his beer to Neal, "Hold my beer," he said, as he pushed the bottle into his hand.

* * *

Emma smiled as she danced with Killian. He hadn't made any attempts to feel her up like a lot of sketchy guys, and was able to hold genuine conversations with her. The way he said her name as his accent crept into his voice made her breathless. So at the end of the night, she didn't hesitate to give him her number, and told him to give her a call, as she planted a quick peck on his lips and closed the taxi door. As the cab drove away, she knew he was touching his lips, because she was doing the same thing.

Perhaps she had just met Mr. Right.


End file.
